Portals
by BurnsLikeIce
Summary: It's been less than a year since the Chitauri invasion was repelled by the Avengers. The city is just getting back to normal when a new threat arises. After what happened the last time aliens came through a portal, is New York City ready for visitors from Azeroth?
1. Prologue

**Summary:**

It's been less than a year since the Chitauri invasion was repelled by the Avengers. The city is just getting back to normal when a new threat arises. After what happened the last time aliens came through a portal, is New York City ready for visitors from Azeroth?

**Notes:**

Let it be known that neither I nor my co-conspirator own any rights to characters associated with Marvel or Blizzard. If I had a stake in either company, I'd be too busy making money to write fanfiction.

Assumptions are made that the reader is familiar with the Avengers (and related Marvel movies) and/or the game World of Warcraft. If you're familiar with neither, you are truly adventurous to be reading this and I commend your blind curiosity.

If you find yourself wondering about something related to WoW, I recommend looking it up either on the official game website, or on Wowhead (best WoW site ever so far as I'm concerned). If you're confused about something related to the characters that fall into the Avengers universe, go poke at Marvel's website and focus on the movies, for it is the movies this fic is based upon. A quick Google search should get you to the proper websites quickly.

In addition, this fic is set post-Avengers movie, pre-Panda WoW. The villains are original characters. Burn, 'Ice, and Golaugost are mine. Harvist, Shishido and Rhewi belong to my co-conspirator. (I say "co-conspirator" because I am the actual author, but the two of us discussed assorted details of the plot together and so we both have contributed to the end product.)

Prologue

_New York City, New York, USA, Earth_

Brown eyes watched the monitors intently. It wouldn't be long now. This was the crucial stage; the point where all previous attempts had failed. There was a slightly crazed look to the eyes as they glanced at the heap of metal and wires in the middle of the room. Sparks of electricity pulsed through the thick cables. A sharp beep from the monitors signaled the completion of the first phase. The eyes gleamed in anticipation as power flowed to the metal construct. Just a few more minutes and all those years of research and experimentation would be validated. So many had said this project was impossible; that it was doomed to fail from the very start. And yet here was the prototype, complete, and just a few short moments away from activation. Oh, this was going to be glorious.  
>As the final stage ended, the green activation button lit up. A deep breath was taken as a hand reached over to press the glowing green circle. At the press of the button a loud metallic keening filled the air. Sparks sizzled across the creation, but nothing caught fire. The keening soon faded to a dull hum as the machine began to move.<p>

"Yes!"

A jubilant figure approached the strange mobile weapon, practically skipping with excitement, and took hold of the controls. Gauges indicated that all systems were fully functional. It was time for a test run!

"Let's see if you perform as well in reality as you did in the simulations, shall we?"

The creation shuddered slightly as it moved forward. The massive weapon charged and fired at the far wall. Gleeful laughter echoed through the workshop as the world exploded into chaos.

_Feralas, Kalimdor, Azeroth_

A nasal voice chanted steadily, the sound almost melodic as it twisted through the air. The spell, so dark and lyrical, had taken days of preparation. Nothing could be allowed to interfere with its completion. Not the clang of blade against blade, or the vocal warcries of combatants, or even the feel of the very earth trembling underfoot. No, the spell must be properly concluded. The magic was strong and powerful, and without direction it would lash out and cause great destruction to the immediate area. The caster had no intention of dying, and so the chanting continued as if there wasn't a small battle raging around him.

The fight itself was utter chaos. How both Alliance and Horde parties had stumbled across the clearing at exactly the wrong time was a mystery to the group of dark-robed figures. At least it meant that the "heroes" were just as busy fighting each other as they were their supposed enemies.

The roar of an angry bear filled the air as a fireball sizzled purple fur. The blue-skinned Draenei swung his mace at an enemy warlock, catching the orc in the chest and sending him to meet his ancestors. Arrows flew with great precision from a Troll's bow as her white lion closed his jaws upon the throat of a robed human. The Death Knight's Runeblade seemed to glow as the blood of enemies flowed freely over its surface. One of the robed figures tried to run, only to find himself tangled in a mass of thick roots which shot out of the ground to wrap about his limbs. Another figure dodged arrow and spell alike, freezing anyone who came too close. And through all this, the lone figure was oblivious as he focused entirely upon the magic he sought to weave.

There was a sudden victorious cry from the spellcaster as a portal began to open. But something was wrong; the portal did not hold steady in the prepared archway. It…rippled. Then flashed. In a violent explosion of light, the portal suddenly expanded. When the light faded, the clearing was empty.


	2. A Bear In Central Park

_"Ugh…what hit me?"_

Amber eyes opened, blinking several times as they adjusted to the light. With a huff the large creature rolled onto his belly and sat up. Looking around, he realized he didn't recognize his surroundings. There were trees, but they were much smaller than he was accustomed to. The grass had obviously been cropped short, creating a uniform carpet of green across the ground. A bench, the construction unfamiliar, stood a few feet away. A narrow path meandered past the bench and curved onto the trees, disappearing from view.

Burn shook his head, his long, pointed ears flapping at the motion. The large bear stood on his four legs and slowly stretched. After assuring himself there were no serious injuries, the dull purple bear moved over to the strange bench, sniffing it cautiously. Human. It smelled of humans. That was good, at least. Humans were allies of his kind. Well, most of them. Hopefully he was among the friendly humans and not the hostile ones.

The thought of hostiles reminded the bear of what he'd been doing before waking up by the bench. The fight! Suddenly alert, Burn scanned his surroundings in search of both his comrades and their enemies. After a few moments of looking, listening and scenting the air, he admitted to himself that he was alone. The only scent was that of strangers; the only sounds those of distant laughter and machinery. He took a deep breath and tried to ask the trees if they'd seen his friends. Only the trees did not answer him. In fact, nothing about this place seemed willing to 'speak' to him. A pang of fear flashed in his chest at the realization.

_"This is not Feralas. It doesn't even feel like Azeroth! By Cenarius's hooves, where am I?"_

The Druid shook himself in an attempt to stave off the anxiety rising within. He knew other worlds existed. He'd even been to the ruined Outland himself once. But this wasn't Outland. He knew the flora of that shattered world. He'd need to 'introduce' himself to this world properly before he could call upon it to aid him. But first, he had to find his two comrades. Burn took one last look around his immediate area before stepping onto the path. He was a bear with a purpose and, strange land or no, he wouldn't rest 'til he'd found his friends.

Harvist groaned as she opened her eyes. She immediately closed them. The world was upside down. The Tauren tried to sit up and promptly fell out of the tree. It wasn't a long fall, so all that was bruised was her pride. She took in her surroundings as she righted herself and stood up. It took only a glance to establish that this was not Feralas. There was no sign of her companions, or even the enemy they had been fighting. The Druid closed her eyes and reached out with her senses, hoping to learn something from the local flora. Her eyes shot open as she felt an unfamiliar world around her. She wasn't just no longer in Feralas…she was no longer on Azeroth! And worst of all, the trees refused to hear her!  
>Harvist took a few deep, calming breaths. She was a Druid. She had trained for years, learning to commune with the natural world around her. She had been to the shattered Outland and still been able to maintain that connection with Nature. All she had to do was introduce herself to this new world. And not panic. She sat down at the base on the tree, arranging her hooves beneath her and wrapping her leonine tail around her body. She closed her eyes and concentrated on feeling the natural world around her.<p>

Blue eyes opened slowly, their glazed appearance fading quickly. The Druid focused her attention on a bit of earth right in front of her. She reached out with her senses, her hands glowing faintly with warm green light. This time, her call was answered. A tiny sprig of green sprouted from beneath the leaves and grew rapidly. After only a moment she finds herself staring at a fully mature red flower. The green light faded as she smiled in welcome at the beautiful plant. This new world would Listen now, would Hear her when she called. She would be able to properly defend herself now, with Nature's aid.  
>Harvist wasn't sure how long she'd been communing to earn the trust of a strange world. Several hours at least, judging by the sun's progress across the sky. She needed to move. It was something of a miracle she had not already been discovered by whatever creatures inhabited this place. Standing, she made a mental list of things that needed to be done. First, she needed to learn more about where she was. That was best done with as little notice as possible, least the locals prove hostile towards Tauren. Second, she needed to find her two companions. Shishido was a skilled Hunter, and would no doubt be able to hide effectively even in the most unfamiliar of settings. But 'Ice was another matter entirely. The Blood Elf was about as subtle as a herd of stampeding kodo when no one was around to keep him in check. Yes, it would be best if Harvist could find her friends before something 'unfortunate' happened.<br>The Druid sighed as she shifted form. A white lion with bull-like horns stood at the base of the tree. As the feline began moving, it seemed to almost fade from sight. If one were to look very closely, they might see the slight distortion caused by the Druid's passage. Harvist had much to accomplish, but she'd start by exploring her surroundings and hunting her companions. Once she'd regrouped with the others they could work on plans for finding a way home.

The screaming was somewhat unexpected. Looking back, Burn really should have anticipated that reaction. Even back home the sight of a large predator approaching was cause for alarm. Perhaps he should have assumed his more stealthy feline form instead of staying a bear. Especially since he was a very large, very purple bear with huge teeth and giant claws. But it was too late now that the locals had spotted him and run screaming in the other direction.  
>When he'd first emerged from the wooded section of the path, Burn had seen a group of humans sitting on a blanket and eating an assortment of foodstuffs. His stomach had growled as he caught the scent of cheese and meat. A child happened to look up as he took a step the direction of the food. Those bright eyes had gone wide, and a small arm had pointed at him as the child cried out. The parents had taken one look at Burn and screamed in terror. Some of the adults began to shout while others pulled small rectangular devices out of their pockets. He didn't understand their words; it wasn't the Common tongue of Stormwind, nor did it sound like any other language he'd been exposed to. But the meaning was clear enough: The humans were afraid of him.<p>

Burn sighed as people fled, screaming, in the opposite direction. He hadn't even done anything! Golden eyes slid from the humans to the abandoned blanket, still covered in an assortment of tasty smelling dishes. His stomach rumbled again.

_"Well…no point in wasting food. They obviously don't want it anymore. May as well have myself a snack before they come back."_

The bear quickly set about "cleaning up" the picnic site. It wasn't long before every last scrap had been consumed. He sat down and licked some sauce off his front paw. He really had to get the recipe for whatever that round, flat thing with all the cheese, meat, and red sauce was. He licked the last crumbs off his snout as he looked around, debating what to do next.  
>The decision was made for him when Burn glanced to the right and observed five humans headed his way, armed with some rather unusual weapons. One held a long pole with a loop at the end. Another held what appeared to be a rifle, though it looked far more delicate than the firearms he was used to seeing. The other three humans held rifles of much larger proportions. Those made Burn nervous. It was just possible they were powerful enough to do real harm. Behind the humans was a strange metal box on wheels; a mechanical vehicle of some sort, but it didn't appear to have any weapons mounted on it. That was good, at least. He only had to worry about the armed humans, and they weren't even wearing armor.<br>Burn stood up as the man with the small rifle took aim. He felt a mild sting in his shoulder, followed by a slight drowsy feeling. A growl escaped as he realized the human had actually shot him. He snorted and turned his body so he was facing the men head-on. The man with the small rifle reloaded and aimed to take another shot, but Burn charged before he'd even begun to squeeze the trigger. The three men with larger rifles were now shooting at him, but the bullets were little more than beestings on the bear's thick hide. All they did was serve to make the powerful creature very, very angry.  
>Burn roared as he ran towards the armed humans, golden eyes flashing.<p>

Tony Stark was many things, most notable of which was the superhero known as Iron Man. Something he was not, however, was tolerant of people turning off his music. Thus, when the deafening chords of a favored song were suddenly silenced, he was Not Pleased to put it mildly.

"Sir, Agent Coulson insists that you take his call. He says it's important."

"He always says it's important," Tony grumbled, irritated at the interruption. "Fine, fine, put him through, JARVIS." Tony assumed a tone of false cheer as he continued to speak. "Hey, Coulson! What world ending emergency do we have scheduled for today?"

"Mr. Stark, I need you to head for Central Park. Dr. Banner is already on his way. There is a situation in progress involving a bear."

"A bear? Seriously? Do I look like Animal Control to you? Though it might be entertaining to see the Hulk wrestling a bear…"

"Mr. Stark, SHIELD detected some strange energy readings in that area earlier today. This bear is reported to be very large, and purple. It is suspected the readings and the animal sighting are related."

"Why can't you send Hawkbait? I'm sure he'd love to do a little hunting in the park."

"Agent Barton is on assignment elsewhere, as are the rest of the Avengers. I expect you to deal with this situation before any civilians are injured. Capture the beast alive if possible. Also, it appears to be immune to standard tranquilizer darts. I suggest you get moving, Mr. Stark."

Tony huffed as Agent Coulson ended the call. A giant purple bear? This sounded more like a drug induced hallucination than a real situation. Or maybe it was a bad joke. Yeah, somebody dyed a Grizzly purple and turned it loose for a laugh. It wasn't his fault Animal control couldn't handle anything bigger than a Great Dane. He sighed. Dealing with the local wildlife was not why he'd created the Iron Man suit.

"Okay, JARVIS. Time to suit up."

It wasn't long before Iron Man was streaking through the sky towards Central Park. Authorities had already secured the immediate area to keep civilians out of harm's way. He found Dr. Bruce Banner quickly and landed beside the man, observing the "bear" as he did so. Tony blinked. Coulson was right, it was indeed a huge purple bear. And it looked seriously pissed off. One of the Animal Control guys had gotten his noose-on-a-stick over the beast's head, but it didn't appear to be doing much to control the animal.

"So, Bruce…I hear we're on pound duty now," Tony said to the man beside him.

"This isn't exactly your typical stray dog," Bruce answered with a sigh.

"True," the armor-clad genius replied as he eyed the creature. "Huh. Is it just me, or is that bear wearing feathered armbands on its front legs?"

Bruce squinted at the beast before answering, mild surprise evident in his voice. "You're right. I wonder who was brave enough to put those on him?"

The beast pulled the metal pole out of the Animal Control worker's grip, sending the man face-first onto the ground dangerously close to the enraged bear. Tony decided it was time he join the party.

"Guess I'll go help get Smokey into a cage."

Iron Man decided to get the fallen man out of the way before taking on the angry bear. The guy was obviously an idiot for trying to capture such a huge animal with nothing more than a lasso on a stick, but that didn't mean he deserved to become bear chow. And that's exactly what the purple creature looked like he was about to do.

"Hey, Yogi! Leave the appetizer alone. The main course has arrived," Iron Man shouted as he charged into the beast. The bear growled as it was thrown onto its side, but quickly regained its footing. The armored hero, too, was fast to get back on his feet. Beast and man stared at each other, two sets of glowing eyes taking in their opponents' appearance. The bear made the first move, standing on its hind legs and roaring before lunging to capture Iron Man in a deadly embrace.

"Sir, external pressure is approaching dangerous levels," JARVIS stated. "Recommend you avoid close contact."

"Yeah, kinda figured out that bear hugs are a bad thing all on my own," Tony replied, grunting as the pressure on his suit increased. He'd realized it was a mistake to get so close the second the beast had stood to tower above him. The thing was over eight feet tall, and had a very impressive set of yellowed teeth. He hadn't been fast enough to avoid being caught in the "hug" when the animal had lunged. With arms pinned to his sides, there was only one option for getting himself free. The blast from the suit's chest sent bear and man hurtling in opposite directions. Iron Man quickly righted himself and prepared to blast the beast again. The bear seemed to have been stunned temporarily. It picked itself up off the grass, shook its head, and charged.

The animal somehow managed to dodge most of the first repulsor blast. It caused the creature to stumble, but didn't stop the charge. Before Tony could get off another shot the powerful jaws had closed around his forearm. The massive paws were clawing at his armor, the screech of claws on metal sending shivers down Tony's spine. Warnings flashed across the suit's HUD as teeth bit down on his arm, the pressure slowly bending the metal plates.  
>Mild panic was starting to build in Tony's chest. The pure rage that seemed to drive the bear reminded Tony of the Hulk. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted this animal alive, but self-preservation was quickly taking top priority. This beast was slowly crushing the Iron Man suit, and the man inside had no intention of letting it continue. One well aimed repulsor blast to the face caused the animal to release its hold on his arm. This was quickly followed by the firing of some of the suit's more lethal armaments. The bear roared, in pain this time, and jerked backwards to stand several yards away. It had what could only be described as a look of shock on its face, but did not seem to be seriously injured despite some singed fur.<p>

"Tough teddy, aren't you? JARVIS," Tony addressed his AI, mind racing as looked at the puncture marks in his armor. "Are we sure this thing's actually alive? It could be a robot with a fur coat, strong as it is."

"There is no evidence to suggest an artificial being," came the crisp reply. "The creature appears to be an organic organism. And may I remind you, sir, that you personally know several individuals who posses great physical strength without themselves being robots."

"You could just say, 'It's a real bear,' JARVIS."

Further discussion was cut off as a blur of white suddenly tackled Iron Man, knocking him to the ground. Tony found his vision filled by a pale feline face with a ruby red nosering. The blue eyes seemed to be glaring at him, but it wasn't growling. It leapt off his chest and crouched nearby, watching him warily. The armored figure slowly got back on his feet, keeping an eye on both the lion and the bear. Where were all these animals coming from? Tony half expected a tiger to jump out next. That'd be something; Iron Man fighting lions and tigers and bears in the park. He was starting to feel like he'd been transported to another dimension. He spared a second to consider that possibility. His boots weren't covered in rubies, but they were at least red…

A furious roar brought Tony's full attention back to the situation at hand. Oh. Right. He still had to subdue the giant purple bear. And now there was a horned lion to deal with as well. At least the cat wasn't snarling at him. In fact, the white feline seemed to be watching the larger predator instead of the armored human.  
>The bear charged Iron Man yet again, only this time Tony flew into the air to avoid getting caught in another "bear hug." The furry ball of purple rage ended up running head first into a large Animal Control truck, its forward momentum too fast to stop or turn. The vehicle flipped over onto its side as the huge beast crashed through sheet metal. The lion leapt onto the overturned truck as Iron Man landed. From inside the truck, the bear shifted and made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a groan, then laid still. Just as Tony was about to blast the lion, the white feline charged, ramming him with its bull-like horns, and knocking him flat on his back. Then, to the Iron Man's shock, the lion leapt into the air, turned into the largest bird Tony had ever seen, and swiftly flew away. A few brown feathers drifted to the ground as proof that he wasn't going crazy.<p>

Iron Man decided to ignore the lion-turned-bird for the moment. The bear was down, but there was no guarantee how long it'd stay that way. He climbed onto the damaged truck and prodded at the animal cautiously. No reaction. He reached down and pulled on one of the long, pointed ears. Still no sign of movement other than the rise and fall of the ribcage as the beast breathed. It was alive, but apparently unconscious. Tony couldn't help but poke the creature once more.

"You know, they say you shouldn't poke a sleeping bear," Bruce said from nearby, his voice holding a hint of amusement.

"He's out cold, so I'm not worried," Tony replied, turning to face the doctor. "And why didn't you join in the fun? I thought you were supposed to be helping?"

"Didn't look like you needed any help," Bruce responded. "Besides, the other guy probably wouldn't have been able to take the bear alive."

Tony just snorted in response and looked back to his fluffy foe. Two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had approached and were discussing how best to transport the animal to a secure facility. So long as it was away from him, he didn't care what they did with it. And if it escaped and he had to go after it again, he'd just shoot it with the biggest weapon he could find. He was done with the beast. Tony's last thought as he turned to leave was that the bear would make a nice rug for Fury's office.


	3. Follow That?

She awoke to the feeling of something warm and wet methodically rubbing her face. Shishido cracked open her orange eyes. The pink tongue continued to lick pale violet skin as the Troll growled, one hand rising to push the white lion's muzzle away. Choutaro grumbled but gave his mistress the room she needed. The Hunter was awake, and that had been his goal.  
>'Shido quickly got to her two-toed feet, checking to make sure her bow and quiver were still securely in place. Satisfied that her weaponry was fine, the Hunter turned her attention to her surroundings. She was standing in an alley between two very tall brick buildings. One end of the alley featured a high wall, while the other opened onto a road upon which some very strange horseless vehicles were travelling. There were also people walking by. The Humans never so much as glanced down the alley, which suited 'Shido just fine. She had no love for that race, and so far they appeared to be the only ones around.<br>Choutaro nudged her with his head, giving a questioning look when the Troll turned her attention to him.

"You gotta point, 'Taro," she said to her pet, scratching behind his ear. "We be needin' ta move ta higher ground."

'Shido eyed the series of metal platforms connected by ladders that went up the side of the buildings. She could climb it easily, but her pet would take some coaxing. If Choutaro were a normal lion, he'd never have dreamed of climbing ladders. But the white beast wasn't "normal" by any means…he was a Hunter's pet. 'Taro was smarter than the average beast, and well trained in many tasks never considered by a wild creature. He could climb the ladders, though it would take a little time.

"We be goin' up, 'Taro," 'Shido said as she pulled down the lowest ladder. "Ya watch yer step, mon. I don't wanna be trainin' no new lion."

The pair scaled the fire escape fairly quickly given that one of them lacked opposable thumbs. Upon reaching the top, 'Shido's eyes widened in shock. This place was without doubt the largest city she'd ever seen! Impossibly tall buildings seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see in most directions. Beyond the buildings she saw a vast body of water that disappeared into the horizon. The Troll realized that wherever she was, it was important that she stay away from the Human population as she searched for her missing companions. Perhaps it would be best if they stayed to the rooftops.

No one took notice of the two men in dark suits as they entered the alley. The shorter man reached into the pocket of his jacket and withdrew a small device that resembled a cell phone. After a moment of observing the display screen and poking buttons, he turned to his companion.

"This is definitely the origin point for the anomaly," he said as he looked up from the scanner. "There is a residual energy reading, but it's fading rapidly."

The shorter man nodded to show he'd heard as his eyes continued to roam the alley, scrutinizing every inch. There was no sign of anything obviously out of the ordinary. He looked up at the fire escape and paused.

"That's odd," the shorter man muttered to himself as he reached towards the ladder. With a gentle tug, he removed a tuft of white hair from it had been wedged in one of the rungs.

"Find something?" The taller man put the scanner back in his jacket pocket as he approached his partner.

"Perhaps. This will need to be tested before we know for sure." The short man looked up towards the roof of the building. One glance at his eyes and it was obvious he was considering the chances of something related to the energy readings climbing up the side of the structure. "If this hair belongs to something that came out of that portal, then it's probably safe to assume whatever it was went high."

"I'll let Headquarters know what we found," the taller Agent responded, pulling a phone from his pocket. "Let's head to the next site." With one final look around the alley, the two men departed.

Rhewi landed with a yelp. It took a moment for the Mage to right herself. Upon regaining her footing, the brown-furred Worgen realized she was in some sort of large clothing shop. Never before had she seen so much ready-made clothing in one place. The humans, on the other hand, were nothing new. Rhewi had long since gotten used to being looked upon with fear and suspicion. The screaming still hurt her sensitive canine ears, and these particular humans were doing a lot of that. Obviously these people couldn't tell a Gilnean from a feral Worgen. They were running away from her in panic, scattering like sheep from a wolf.

Someone shouted nearby, the commanding tone drawing the Worgen's attention. Two men were rapidly approaching her location. Both held what Rhewi assumed to be weapons in their hands. She decided not to hang around to find out what the strange devices did. Bad memories surfaced to hasten the Worgen's retreat. She moved between the racks of clothing quickly, ducking low to better hide from the eyes of the pursuing humans. Once out of sight, she dove into the center of a circular clothing rack that concealed her from view.

Rhewi took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down now that she was in relative safety. She concentrated on slowing her pounding heart and letting the adrenaline fade out of her system. Her lupine form began to shrink and melt away. In seconds a young human woman knelt where once a Worgen crouched. Rhewi had only just finished her transformation when the clothing of her hiding spot parted. Startled eyes looked into the face of one of the armed humans. He said something she didn't understand. Focusing on the strange words, she muttered a spell under her breath. The man looked puzzled as he spoke again.

"Do you speak English, Miss?"

"Yes!" Rhewi responded with enthusiasm. "Sorry. What did you say before? I'm a bit flustered and didn't hear you clearly."

The man gave her what might pass for an understanding smile. She was fairly certain he was just humoring the emotional woman since that false sympathy failed to reach his eyes.

"Are you alright? Did you see where the werewolf went?"

"Werewolf?" Rhewi was puzzled by the strange word, but assumed that was what these people called Worgen. Certainly, she was very wolf-like in her true form. "Um…I think it ran that way," she answered, pointing in a random direction. The man nodded and ordered her to exit the building immediately before rushing off. The Mage released a relieved breath as the man hurried out of view. She sent silent thanks to her old Master for insisting she learn that universal translation spell. This moment alone made it well worth all those hours spent in study.

Getting to her feet, Rhewi looked about for an exit. She saw a set of doors with a sign above them in glowing red text. The Translation Spell didn't work on writing, but the doors were glass and she could clearly see sunlight and people on the other side. That must be the way out of the building. As she made her escape she paused briefly to grab a long coat from one of the racks. While that one man hadn't seemed to notice that she was dressed in the same garb as the "werewolf," others might just prove more observant. Rhewi had also noticed that her robes were very different from the local fashions, and it wouldn't do for her to attract unnecessary attention. So she wrapped the dark gray coat about herself, gestured obscenely at the store's interior, and exited the building.

"What did I do to deserve this?"

The young man's voice echoed in the darkness of the tunnel. His sandy-blonde hair was cut short and combed back. The dark suit was neatly pressed with not a speck of lint visible, but his dress shoes were ruined. His darker companion's footwear was in a similar state thanks to their trek through New York City's sewer system. Neither was particularly interested in thinking about exactly what it was they were stepping in.

"One," the older man began, "you are a Junior Agent and subject to less than glamorous assignments. Two, you specifically are here because of that mouth of yours. I heard all about the incident in the cafeteria the other day."

The blonde's face flushed with mild embarrassment at the memory. He hadn't meant for that comment to be overheard. Really, he hadn't! It was just a joke! It wasn't his fault that no one had bothered to warn him about the Senior Agent standing right behind him.

"So why are you here, then," he asked, trying to shift the focus off himself and his embarrassment.

But the dark-skinned Agent was paying little attention to his young partner's whining. The brown eyes studied the scanner in his hand with great intensity as he responded. "Someone had to come along and keep you in line, kid. I drew the short straw."

The two men had been sent out with other teams to check a series of anomalous energy readings which had been detected across the city. So far they'd found nothing more unusual than fading energy signatures. This latest anomaly had flared up deep in the sewers, much to their displeasure.

"These readings are stronger than at the previous sites," the older Agent stated, still focused on his scanner. "It was a more powerful surge than the others. Keep your eyes open." The dark man paused as the scanner beeped to indicate they'd reached the source of the strange readings. Both men observed the area with the aid of their flashlights.

"Nothing here," the young blonde stated after a few moments. "We should move on to the next site. Get a change of shoes on the way."

"You need to get your eyes checked, kid," the older Agent replied, his tone scolding. "Someone's been here recently." He crouched down, pointing his flashlight at a depression in the grime on the ground. "See this? A human, or something human-like, had to have made this print. Rats don't have feet that big even if they did wear shoes."

"Well, there's obviously not anyone here _now_," the young man grumbled. He just wanted to get out of the sewers. His partner was not amused.

"And this is why you are going to remain a Junior Agent for the foreseeable future. You don't like the assignment so you rush the job and miss important information." The darker man stood and turned to glare at the petulant blonde. "Keep up this attitude and you will be an EX-Agent, understand?"

The younger man opened his mouth, but his response was suddenly cut off as a bolt of purple energy slammed into his chest. The older Agent spun and drew his sidearm, moving just in time to avoid another blast. His skin tingled as the energy bolt crackled past his shoulder. Several gunshots rang out, the echo deafening in the confines of the tunnel. In the silence that followed, the Agent looked to his fallen partner. The young blonde's chest was still sizzling; the scent of charred flesh hanging thick in the air. There was no need to check for a pulse. The Junior Agent was dead.

It took only seconds to check the blonde's condition, but that was long enough. A heavy weight slammed into the dark man's side, knocking him to the ground. Something clamped down painfully on his hand as sharp teeth tore at his throat. The Agent didn't even have time to scream as the strange beast tore him to pieces.

The creature lifted its blood-coated head from the carcass as a cloaked figure emerged from the shadows. The stranger's approach was met with a low hiss. A gloved hand came to rest on the smooth head in an almost affectionate manner. Humorless lips smiled cruelly beneath the concealing hood.

"Well done, my pet. Now let us follow their trail out of these catacombs."

The beast growled as it sniffed the air and began to stalk down the path the two men had come by, its Master close behind.

Agent Phil Coulson was Not Pleased. The day had begun in a routine manner. Breakfast, report to the office, do paperwork; just like the day before. And then someone decided to blow up Brooklyn.

The culprit had been subdued quickly, in part because his own technology proved to be unstable. S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent Captain America and Thor to handle the situation when the madman first appeared. Only one city block had suffered damage by the time the fighting was over. The robot itself had exploded in a most impressive display, the flash of colors temporarily blinding all those who witnessed it. The madman piloting it, however, had somehow managed to escape. Or possibly he'd been vaporized in the explosion, but Agent Coulson was not overly optimistic for that outcome. Agents were presently searching for the insane scientist. At least the mechanical monstrosity had proven more destructive to its creator than to the general populace.

The down side to the morning's events was arranging clean-up and dealing with the fallout. Preliminary investigation had revealed that the weapon used some sort of trans-dimensional technology. The thing obviously hadn't functioned as intended, but it'd still made life far more complicated for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents. Numerous small anomalies had been detected across the city. They only remained for a few seconds at most, but the residual energy readings had been enough to determine that these anomalies were rifts in reality. The thought of portals opening in New York City had prompted immediate action. Agents had been sent out to check each and every site where an anomaly was detected to ensure nothing came through. The last thing the city needed was another Chitauri incident.

Agent Coulson watched as the last of the robot wreckage was loaded into a truck for transport to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Hopefully there was enough left intact for the scientists to determine exactly what the faulty weapon was supposed to do. Somehow, Coulson didn't think blowing itself up and opening micro-portals was in the original blueprints.

He opened his eyes to Chaos. This in and of itself wasn't unusual. He reveled in chaos, especially if he was the cause. But this…  
>The last thing the Satyr remembered was watching his portal "explode" in a flash of rainbow light. He crouched low, hidden behind a large metal container, and watched. There was so much dust and smoke in the air it was hard to see more than a few yards in any direction. Pieces of metal were smoldering around him. Voices shouting in an unfamiliar language reached his long, pointed ears. <em>"Probably best to avoid the locals,"<em> he thought. At least until the language barrier had been dealt with. The Satyr had something of a silver tongue that had saved his hide on more than one occasion.

Something moved in the rubble to his left. A human male was struggling to get out from under a chunk of metal that might have once belonged to a large machine. The Satyr's eyes narrowed as he realized the man was close enough to reach without revealing himself to anyone else. A clawed hand reached out and pressed against the human's forehead. The Satyr hissed a few words and the human screamed as knowledge was ripped from his mind. The clawed hand withdrew, its owner giving the injured human an appraising look. The Satyr had taken Language from the Human's mind, and also seen a few recent thoughts and images that proved most intriguing.

"You built a machine that makes portals? Speak quickly, Human," the Satyr growled menacingly.

"I…ye…yes. Yes! Who are you?" The brown eyes were full of fear, but also curiosity. The Satyr's reply was interrupted by sounds of movement nearby. Someone was approaching, and from the look on the human's face it wasn't an ally. The Satyr made a quick decision and shoved the metal wreckage off the human, lifting the man to his feet.

"You will take me someplace we can speak without interruption. Tell me of this portal machine I saw in your mind. Then I shall decide if you are worth leaving alive," the cold voice growled into the human's ear. The man swallowed, gave one glance towards the voices, and nodded. He motioned for the Satyr to follow and quickly lead the way into a damaged building. From there they escaped under the cover of smoke and dust. They had much to discuss.


	4. It's the Zombie Apocalypse!

A pair of pale blue eyes shot open as their owner jerked awake. 'Ice brushed the long, blond hair out of his face and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He got to his feet as quietly as possible, which was not nearly so silent as he'd have liked. His black armor had not been created for stealth. The Blood Elf was relieved to see he was alone in the room. His long, pointed ears listened, but heard nothing to indicate anyone approaching from beyond the closed door. Only one proper door, he noticed. His cold gaze took in the rest of the room. The walls were lined floor to ceiling with small, square doors. A black-gloved hand reached for the nearest handle and pulled.  
>'Ice tightened his grip on the hilt of his Runeblade as he observed that which was behind the little door. In the dim light the markings on the sword's blade glowed with the same ethereal blue as his eyes. A feeling somewhat like pleasure filled the Death Knight as he stared down at the human corpse. Did all these little doors hold bodies within? It took mere moments for 'Ice to check the entire room. Some doors proved empty, but he had a total of seven human corpses at the end of his search. His lips curved into a cruel smile. Raising the Runeblade above his head, the Death Knight began to chant.<p>

It had been a long, boring day for Dan. He'd been pleased to land the job at the morgue. He'd had a rough few years spent unemployed and living on his parents' charity. But now he had a steady paycheck and life was looking…well, not 'good' exactly, but certainly better than before. He didn't mind being a security guard, really. It was just that there was so little to do. He worked alone most of the time, and the dead weren't much for conversation. About the most exciting thing that had happened while he was on the job was when a new assistant had managed to lose a body. The corpse had just been stored in the wrong drawer and was found fairly quickly, but the youth responsible had been so frantic that Dan was sure they'd pass out from the strain. He shook his head as he patrolled the dimly-lit hallway. There was a fresh pot of coffee waiting for him back in the office, and only another hour before his shift ended. He was bored out of his mind, but at least the caffeine would keep him awake.  
>The security guard came to a sudden stop and listened carefully. He was sure he'd heard something strange just then. And…there it was! It sounded like some sort of strange chanting. It was a man's voice, no doubt about that. But the language was foreign. Dan moved silently to the closed door that lead into the room where the newly-arrived bodies were kept. He peered through the small glass window but couldn't make anything out in the darkness. Wait…there! Movement! A faint blue glow. Someone was in there at a time when he was supposed to be the only person in the building. Anyone legitimately working late would have turned the lights on. And he was fairly certain that no one who worked there carried around blue glowsticks.<br>Dan reached for his baton (he wasn't allowed to carry a firearm) and slowly turned the door handle. Taking a deep breath, he threw the door open and flicked on the light switch.

"Alright, hold it ri…"

Dan's voice caught in his throat as he stared in horror at the sight that greeted him. His mind screamed that it was impossible; that he must have fallen asleep and was having a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare! No way could this be real. It just couldn't.  
>A pair of glowing ice-blue eyes held his attention. Their owner looked like the villain from a fantasy movie. He was a tall, thin man wearing what appeared to be dull black armor with skull designs on it. Part of his long blond hair was swept back from his face and partially braided into a sort of topknot. He had pale skin, a small goatee, and long, pointed ears. But what really caught Dan's attention were the seven other figures that surrounded the armored man. All seven had the look of zombies. The white of bone was visible beyond the gaps in the decaying flesh. They appeared to be half-rotten monsters with boney claws for fingers and sharp teeth protruding from their open jaws. Some still had their eyes while others were graced with empty black voids. The smell of putrid flesh hung heavily in the cool air as Dan tried to process what he was seeing.<p>

The armored figure raised his arm and pointed the tip of a very large, very sharp looking sword at Dan's chest. The stranger's lips twisted in a sneer as he spoke.

" Do'rah!"

With that single command the seven animated corpses lurched forward. Dan snapped out of his frozen panic and tried to slam the door before they reached him, but he wasn't fast enough. The clawed hands grabbed at his arms and shirt, pulling him towards them. The creatures growled and hissed as they ripped at his clothing. They weren't any stronger than the average person, but it was seven against one. Dan screamed as the gruesome attackers sank claws and teeth into his flesh. He was about to die, he realized. He couldn't help but think that he was surely the first human to be ripped apart by actual zombies. The armored elf approached and violently rammed the long blade into his chest. The security guard choked on his own blood as it bubbled up his throat and spilled from his mouth. The stranger smiled cruelly as Dan's vision faded.

The melodic voice of his murderer was the last thing Dan heard before Darkness claimed him. Unlike before, he understood.

"You will rise again, Human. In Death, you will serve me."

When the alert came in, it was late. Or early, depending on your point of view. S.H.I.E.L.D. had spent the entire day chasing anomalies throughout the city. They had found nothing of interest at most of the sites, but there were exceptions. One of the earliest readings had resulted in the capture of an alien bear and the need for Mr. Stark to repair his Iron Man armor. Another instance had involved a "werewolf" sighting in a department store. The creature had escaped and was still at large, which did not sit well with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s higher-ups. The worst had been the anomaly in the sewers. Two agents had been sent to investigate. When they didn't report back in a timely manner, a team was sent to find them. The remains of the missing men were so thoroughly mutilated that it was impossible to tell what belonged to who. The fact that whatever had done this was still roaming free just made matters worse. And now, hours after the last anomaly had been detected, there was yet another one that needed investigating.

Agent Phil Coulson sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He had hoped that the anomalies were finally over. But there was that damned alert flashing at him again. Preliminary readings indicated that this one had been fairly strong. He took a deep breath and reached for his phone. After losing two agents to an unknown adversary, he was taking no chances. He quickly placed the call to send two of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best assets to the scene. They weren't subtle, but at least they should be able to handle whatever nasty creature this latest anomaly had unleashed into the city. He arranged for a backup team to be ready, just in case his chosen first responders needed help. Hopefully it would prove to be just another false alarm, but Phil wasn't feeling overly optimistic.

_Why does my tail hurt?_

Golaugost groaned and cracked open one sky-blue eye. His pointed ears could hear voices franticly shouting in an unknown language. The sky was dark, but there were lights all around him. The Draenei realized that his tail, a long, thick appendage which aided balance, was bent awkwardly beneath his body. He also realized that he was sprawled head-down on a set of hard stone steps. The Paladin struggled to roll over and get his hooves under him. The heavy gold armor made this feat a bit more difficult than it should have been. Golaugost stood at roughly eight feet tall once he'd sorted out his limbs. He checked himself for injury. His dark blue skin naturally had hints of violet, thus any bruising would be virtually invisible. No broken bones or bleeding wounds, which was good; just a sore tail and a headache. He shook his horned head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to have obscured his thoughts. His dark brown hair was partly gathered back in a ponytail, with the rest hanging down over his broad shoulders. The four delicate tentacles protruding from his jaw quivered slightly as adrenaline began to course through his veins. The glowing blue eyes observed the fearful and excited humans that were keeping a 'safe' distance from him. Their clothing was unlike that of the Humans of Azeroth.  
>The Paladin was standing on the steps leading up to a building that reminded him of a smaller version of Stormwind's Cathedral of Light. Looking around, he couldn't help but notice that the other buildings were like no construction style he was familiar with. The lights that lined the street did not seem to be powered by either flame or magic, which were the two primary methods used on Azeroth. Even the air smelled wrong. Another world, then. The Draenei was no stranger to interplanetary exploration. His people had fled their homeworld long ago to escape the demonic forces of the Burning Legion. Since that time they had settled on various planets only to flee again when the Legion found them. Although he was still considered young for one of his race, Golaugost was old enough to remember travelling in the ship between worlds. Draenei lived a very long time if not cut down by violence.<p>

The sound of high-pitched wailing drew Golau's attention back to the present. Some sort of vehicle was approaching with blue lights flashing brightly. An identical vehicle came hurtling around the corner. Both pulled to a stop as the sirens went silent. Humans in identical dark uniforms emerged holding small weapons on their hands. Golaugost wasn't sure he wanted to find out what the small weapons did. He rested one hand on the handle of the golden mace that hung from his belt and slung the sturdy shield off his back. While the Draenei had no desire to harm the Humans, he didn't trust them to feel the same.

Agent Clint Barton, otherwise known as Hawkeye, settled into position atop the dark roof. This was the best spot to keep an eye on the situation below. He had an unobstructed view of the church steps and the strange creature standing upon them. Police cars had formed a barricade behind which officers crouched, weapons drawn and pointed towards the monster. It struck Clint as bit ironic that something looking like a 'demon' would end up in front of a church. He notched an arrow and took aim.

"I'm in position. There's a blue demon wearing gold armor down there. He's holding a shield in front of him, but his weapon is still on his belt. Seems like he's waiting to see what the police do next."

Agent Barton had only just settled comfortably into position when something pulled his attention away from the "demon." Chaos had erupted down the street. Civilians were screaming and running towards the church, unaware of the creature on the steps. Traffic was at a complete standstill as drivers abandoned their vehicles to join in the stampede. Barton's eyes widened in shock as the cause of such panic came into view. This couldn't be what it looked like. Horror movies just didn't come to life like this! He activated his com unit.

"This is Barton. You're not gonna believe this, but I swear the Zombie Apocalypse just started."

In the street below, moving at a steady pace, were what appeared to be over a dozen zombies. They were all obviously dead with rotting flesh and missing body parts. Most had the tattered remains of clothing hanging loosely off their bodies, but some were completely naked. They seemed single-minded in their pursuit of the panicked people.  
>One figure stood out from the rest of the Undead. He was the only one wearing armor, which was a dull black, and he carried a rather large sword. He seemed to be directing the zombies somehow.<p>

A man in a suit tripped and fell as he tried to flee. The zombies were on him before Hawkeye could loose an arrow. They tore the man's abdomen, ripping out his entrails like so much bloody rope. The ghouls backed away from their dying prey as the armor-clad figure approached. That large sword was forcefully plunged into the victim's chest. Barton couldn't tell what was said, but he could see the pale lips moving as their owner pulled his sword out of the corpse. The unfortunate man's body began to convulse as soon as the blade was removed. The flesh rotted away over the course of mere seconds. The skin on the fingers melted into boney claws as sharp fangs erupted from the jaw. The now-undead man scrambled awkwardly to his feet as the black-clad swordsman smiled. The horde of zombies continued on their rampage, their numbers increased by one.

Hawkeye blinked and shook himself. Anything else and he'd have already let loose a volley of arrows at the obviously hostile force. But this was a nightmare come to life. It was completely unexpected and the Agent needed a moment to process that what he was seeing was real. But only a moment.  
>Barton opened fire on the hostiles. After two shots he realized that regular arrows had no effect on the Undead. Even a direct hit to the head did nothing to slow them down. He couldn't use the exploding arrows due to the close proximity of so many civilians. Perhaps fire…didn't fire usually work against zombies in the movies? Or was that vampires? Clint selected an incendiary tip for his next arrow and shot a zombie center-mass. The ghoul howled as it went up in flames. The others shied away, but the swordsman rushed forward and slashed at his burning minion. The unearthly howling stopped as the still-smoldering corpse fell to the asphalt, unmoving. The blonde swordsman motioned with his blade and the group resumed their previous march.<p>

"Let's see if you're as immune to arrows as your friends…"

Barton sent another incendiary arrow flying, this time aiming for the man in the black armor. He was obviously in control and it was possible the zombies would be easier to take down if their leader was out of the picture. The arrow whistled past its target as the swordsman managed to duck at the last moment. It hit another ghoul, which the armored leader immediately dispatched after it went up in flames. Several more arrows saw the demise of more zombies, but the leader remained unscathed.

"You are seriously pissing me off now, Blondey."

The sound of gunshots drew Agent Barton's attention away from his Undead targets. He'd forgotten about the 'demon' at the church when the zombies showed up and started killing people. But now it looked like the 'demon' was moving to join the Undead. Police Officers had opened fire when the blue and gold creature started running. It looked as though the bullets had either missed their target completely or hit the shield. The mace was no longer on the monster's belt; he was gripping it firmly, holding the weapon in a way that said, "I'm ready for battle." Clint notched another arrow but refrained from firing. There was something about the way the 'demon' was charging that made him hold back.  
>The swordsman and his ghoul army had a very strong reaction to seeing the blue and gold figure hurtling towards them. The ghouls leapt at the massive creature, but he swatted them away with apparent ease. A faint golden light shone from the mace and expanded to wrap around the blue-skinned body. The Undead reacted as if burned when they got close to the glowing figure. The ghouls retreated to surround their master. Barton watched as the black-clad swordsman raised his blade high and charged, snarling viciously. The creature in the golden armor readied his shield and mace, and braced himself against the attack. As the black blade met the gold shield, the air itself seemed to reverberate with the Power of Light and Darkness.<p>

Notes: Do'rah - "Attack" in Thalassian, the language of the Sindorei (Blood Elves) A Note on Translations:  
>Any time a character from Azeroth says something in their own language, they really are speaking their own language. Between myself and my co-conspirator we have multiple WoW accounts and characters of all the races. Each race has it's own racial language. We set an Alliance character and a Horde character beside each other in-game, and then say whatever needs translating using those racial languages. And that is how we translate dialogue; we let the in-game filters do it for us.


	5. The Clash of Light and Darkness

The force of impact shook the Paladin's entire body. As the blade slid off his shield, Golaugost swung his mace at the Death Knight's head, missing by a mere hair's breadth. His foe dodged out of the way, lips curling in a vicious snarl as the sword was raised in preparation for the next attack. Golau regarded his enemy through narrowed eyes. The Blood Elf was considerably shorter than himself, the lithe form far less muscled. Against a typical foe of such stature the Draenei would have a significant advantage in strength. But that usual advantage was negated by the very nature of this particular foe. Death Knights were unnatural creations spawned from Demonic powers of Necromancy. As such, they had strength beyond that of their once-mortal bodies. They were Undead killing machines, and it would be folly to underestimate such creatures. This Death Knight was a match for Golau in strength, and also had the added advantage of greater agility.

The unintelligible sound of a ghoul's chattering reminded the Paladin of yet another advantage the Death Knight held. He eyed the animated corpses as they circled him. This was what made Death Knights so feared…they had the ability to raise the dead. It was difficult to battle against an enemy that could turn your fallen comrades into reinforcements. It was a horrible thing to watch a friend die. It was more terrible still to see that same friend rise up against you as an enemy. The handful of ghouls serving this particular Death Knight were strangers to Golau, but that did little to comfort him. They had once been alive with families who loved them. They did not deserve to be trapped in Undeath as mindless minions.

Golaugost was matched in strength with his foe, and outnumbered as well. Ghouls were significantly weaker than their masters, but their tendency to swarm like ants could easily overpower a single adversary. It would seem the Paladin was at a distinct disadvantage against such odds. Blue lips curved upwards into a confident smile as his eyes met those of the Blood Elf. There was one weapon he had that could turn the tide against such Darkness. He was a Paladin; a holy warrior of righteousness. He had the Light on his side.

'Ice hissed as the Draenei began to glow with a golden aura. Of all possible adversaries, it would be a Paladin that found him in this strange place. The Light _burned_. But the Death Knight was no stranger to pain. Born of violence and unholy powers, his every breath was beautiful agony. It would take more than a little seared flesh to defeat _him_.

"Attack, minions! Rip him apart!"

The undead creatures immediately leapt upon the blue and gold figure. The Light burned, and they howled in pain, but still they obeyed their master. Boney claws ripped at the edges of golden armor in an attempt to reach the soft blue flesh beneath. There was a sickening crunch as the Paladin's mace smashed through the bone of a ribcage, flinging the foul creature through the glass window of a nearby building. Humans screamed as glass shattered, removing the frail barrier between themselves and the chaos outside.

The Blood Elf frowned slightly as he counted his ghouls. Only three left fighting, and soon to be less if the Draenei had his way. 'Ice turned towards the broken window. Humans were huddled under tables, as if a bit of wood and metal would protect them. Fools. But even such pitiful specimens had their uses. They would make excellent reinforcements. The Death Knight stepped through the opening, shattered glass crunching under his armored boots. He approached three terrified individuals who'd been trying to hide in a corner. The markings on his Runeblade glowed blue as 'Ice prepared to strike. Before he could deliver a killing blow, however, something flew past his head and impacted with the dark blade. The weapon was knocked out of his grasp and 'Ice blinked in surprise. Turning his head, he saw a Human standing defiantly just outside the shattered window. The man was wearing one of the most ridiculous outfits the Elf had ever seen. It was mostly blue, with red and white, and clung close to the skin in a manner that displayed the man's muscular build. The tall figure was armed only with a red, white and blue shield. The man met 'Ice's gaze, his blue eyes holding a fierce determination that the Death Knight could not help but approve of. This was a true Warrior that stood before him. Absurd "armor" aside, this one would make a truly grand ghoul once defeated.

The blue-clad human said something in a language 'Ice didn't understand. It was probably a demand for surrender. It seemed like the vast majority of enemies always started a fight with that offer: surrender or die. The Elf had no intention of surrendering. Cold blue eyes showed amusement as he made a dive for his fallen Runeblade. A sword against a shield? This battle would be swift, certainly.

Captain Steve Rogers blinked as he processed Hawkeye's words. Zombie apocalypse? That had to be yet another pop culture reference that he just didn't get. He did, however, know what a zombie was, and that couldn't mean anything good awaited him. When Agent Coulson had called Thor and himself, the Captain had been under the impression that this was mostly a recon mission with a very low probability for violence. They were only going in as a precaution. Honestly, no one had seemed to think they'd actually need to do anything. But now Barton was relating tales of blue demons and the undead rampaging down a crowded street. Steve got the feeling that this was going to end up being one of the stranger things he'd encountered in his life.

Thor and the Captain were quickly flown to the proper location, but the few minutes it took to arrive at the site of the chaos seemed to last forever. Steve took in the situation with a glance. The two hostiles were fighting each other. That didn't necessarily make them "friends" but it also meant that they weren't hurting any more civilians so long as their attention was focused on one another. The larger of the two, Clint's "blue demon," was armed with a shield and mace. The smaller figure had a large sword, and was in command of the zombies.

"Thor, you take the blue one in the gold armor. See if you can neutralize those undead things that are attacking him. I'll handle the other one."

The Thunder God nodded and charged into battle as the Captain headed towards the figure in black armor. The swordsman had turned away from his blue foe and entered a building filled with terrified civilians. As the massive sword was raised in preparation to strike an innocent person, Captain America threw his shield. The sword fell, and suddenly the human hero had the undivided attention of his enemy. Steve's eyes narrowed as he observed the amused expression on the blond creature's face. Apparently his opponent wasn't impressed. That was good. "Unimpressed" meant he'd be underestimated. He could use that to his advantage.

"Surrender now, and I promise no harm will come to you. No one else has to die tonight."

Steve's words fell on deaf ears. The black-clad man smirked as he suddenly dove for his fallen sword. He had the hilt in his hands and came up swinging. Steve blocked the blow with his shield, deflecting the blade as he threw a punch at his adversary's face. The elf barely managed to dodge the hit. Ducking low, the enemy charged. An armored shoulder impacted the Captain's midsection in an attempt to throw him off balance. But Captain America was so not easily toppled. He hit the armored back with his shield, knocking the man to the ground with a surprised yelp.

"Man'ar il'amare alah osa mush, shano. Ash dal'dieb eburi turUs ishura ni."

The Captain was unnerved by the hollow, echoing quality to the swordsman's voice. It was…well, it was like hearing something from beyond the grave speaking to him. He didn't understand what was said for the language was like none he'd heard before. The melodic words combined with the deathly echo sent an involuntary shiver down Steve's spine. In the next moment, the elf was back on his feet and the fight was on again. There was no time to think about anything other than staying alive and defeating his adversary. Contemplation of the alien nature of the enemy would have to wait for later.

Thor held _Mjölnir_high as he charged into battle. He spared a glance for the Captain as the human engaged the black-clad swordsman. His attention snapped back to the strange warrior who continued his battle with the undead creatures. Zombies, Clint called them. _Mjölnir smashed into one of the fiends, crushing the skull with a satisfying crunch and delivering true death. The blue-skinned warrior vanquished another zombie in similar fashion using his mace. The third ghoul hesitated before fleeing back towards its master. Thor let it go, turning his full attention to the living foe._

The Asgardian was momentarily reminded of Heimdall, what with the gold armor, imposing figure, and stoic facial expression. But there the resemblance to anything familiar ended. The blue-skinned warrior was unlike any creature known in the Nine Realms.

"X maze zila enkil il zila, belaros. Maz X alar gul azgalada xi kazile archim."

Thor blinked in surprise. The All-Speak should have allowed him to understand the stranger's words, but all he heard was a guttural language that meant nothing to his ears. Truly this foe was from a realm beyond the Nine.

"I do not understand you, stranger…"

The glowing sky-blue eyes narrowed slightly. It would seem the alien warrior had just as little understanding of Thor's words as the Prince had his. Thor observed the tightening of his adversary's grip upon the mace, and the subtle shift as the gold-clad body tensed. When the attack came the Asgardian was ready. Mace met hammer as the warriors clashed. Thor quickly realized that his opponent was a match in strength. The Prince grinned…it seemed this fight would be a welcome challenge after all. The pair traded blows for several moments with neither gaining an advantage. Thor was enjoying himself. It was almost like sparring with the Warriors Three. It was obvious from the start that the blue-skinned creature wasn't aiming to kill. The stranger seemed more interested in disabling Thor than killing him. The Asgardian's respect for this foe was growing with every swing of his weapon.

The Prince dodged a blow, kicking at the gold-clad warrior's leg as he moved. The hooved creature stumbled but did not fall. Still, Thor had enough time to glance at his teammate as the creature regained solid footing. It seemed the Captain was not fairing as well as Thor. The black-clad swordsman was attacking viciously, slashing swiftly with the large blade as his zombie minion attacked from behind. Captain America was holding his own, but just barely. Thor needed to end his "friendly" fight quickly so as to assist his teammate.

Thor turned back to his own opponent and was surprised to see that the creature was also looking towards the Captain. Those warm blue eyes met Thor's gaze with a thoughtful expression. The golden mace was raised slowly in a non-threatening gesture as the warrior pointed towards the conflict. The shield arm came up next, pointing towards Thor, then at the creature's chest. The blue-skinned adversary then struck his shield with his mace. The message was clear; this stranger was offering to stop fighting Thor in favor of joining the battle against the black-clad swordsman and his undead minion. Thor narrowed his eyes, then grinned broadly as he nodded. Blue lips quirked upwards in a small smile as the pair of warriors turned their full attention to the other battle.

Hawkeye watched his teammates battle in the street below. Thor almost looked to be playing, but Steve was struggling with his two opponents. The urge to help was rising as he considered his arrow options. Exploding arrows were out; he didn't want to risk hurting Cap or Thor (even if the two _were_ likely to survive just fine). The flaming arrows had done a great job taking out the zombies, but their black-clad master wasn't so easily dealt with. Clint muttered curses under his breath at the swordsman's quick reflexes that allowed him to avoid arrows. Only one zombie remained, and while a fire arrow would certainly take it down, it was far too close to the Captain. If he'd been allowed to use deadly force the archer could have already dropped both hostiles, but S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted them alive and as intact as possible. Clint nocked an armor-piercing arrow and continued observing the fight below. If it looked like one of his fellow Avengers was going to take a fatal blow, then he'd drop the enemy immediately, orders be damned.

Captain America ducked yet again to avoid the black blade as it slashed towards him. The strange swordsman seemed to be tireless in his assault. They'd been fighting hard for a good twenty minutes already and the blond foe showed not a single sign of fatigue. Steve was starting to wonder if his opponent had been enhanced in some way, or if the man's species naturally had such stamina. The Captain continued to block and dodge that deadly sword even as a single zombie kept lunging at him from behind. The zombie was more annoying than dangerous to the super soldier. It wasn't much stronger than a normal human, and didn't seem to be very intelligent. But it was providing enough of a distraction that the swordsman was starting to gain the upper hand.

The zombie lunged as the sword swung. Steve couldn't avoid them both this time; he decided the blade was the greater threat and moved to block it with his shield. Suddenly something flew in from the side, hitting the zombie in mid-leap and sending the foul creature smashing into a brick wall. Before the minion could right itself a series of arrows impaled its body, effectively pinning it to the wall. Steve was very surprised to see Thor and the blue-skinned creature charging in to aid him against the black-clad enemy.

The swordsman seemed equally surprised to find himself fighting three against one. This realization did nothing to dampen his spirits. If anything, he became even more vicious in his attacks. Steve stepped back to allow Thor and their new ally room to fight. The two burly warriors moved as one to strike at the enemy from opposite sides. Amazingly, the swordsman managed to counter both attacks using his superior speed and agility. The Captain watched for an opening as the three continued their dance. The black blade slashed Thor's arm, drawing blood but failing to seriously injure the Asgardian. The swordsman seemed all the more enthusiastic for having spilled blood, his cold blue eyes lingering on the injury. The blue-skinned creature took advantage of this distraction by sending a flash of blinding golden light into the enemy. The black-clad foe screamed as the light hit him. Steve saw his opening and struck quickly. The shield struck the blond foe in the back of his head, sending him to his knees. Those icy blue eyes stared blindly in shock before closing as the figure crumpled to the ground.

The three warriors cautiously approached the fallen enemy. The blue-skinned one nudged the black figure with his hoof. There was no reaction. Steve called in their victory to S.H.I.E.L.D. as Thor smiled broadly at their unexpected ally. The Captain wasn't sure what had happened to convince the stranger to side with them, but he was glad of the outcome. Now if they could just convince S.H.I.E.L.D. that the blue "demon" wasn't completely hostile.

A large ground transport vehicle pulled into the road and made its way past debris and charred corpses. The Agents who poured out of it were armed and pointing their weapons at the two unknown figures. The team quickly secured both zombie and unconscious swordsman inside the transport. The team then turned their attention, and weapons, on the tall blue creature. Steve motioned for the gold-clad warrior to put down his weapons. He tried to give a reassuring smile as he did so. Thor, too, encouraged his new friend to come along peacefully. The blue-skinned "demon" stood without moving for a moment before sighing in resignation. The mace and shield were handed to Thor before he allowed the humans to lead him into the transport to be taken to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Unseen by any human eye, a dark shape rose into the night sky. The large avian silhouette followed the transport vehicle to its destination. Brown feathers rustled as golden eyes considered how to handle this latest development.

Notes: "Man'ar il'amare alah osa mush, shano. Ash dal'dieb eburi turUs ishura ni." - "You're stronger than you look, human. But strength alone won't defeat me." [Thalassian] "X maze zila enkil il zila, belaros. Maz X alar gul azgalada xi kazile archim." - "I wish this world no harm, warrior. But I will not hesitate to defend myself." [Draenei]


	6. JailbreakOr Is It?

Rhewi studied the building's entrance with trepidation. She knew Golaugost was inside, but not exactly where. That battle in the street the previous night had attracted her like a moth to a flame. She still didn't know where Burn was, assuming he'd even been transported to this strange place, but at least she's she'd managed to locate one of her wayward companions. Not that that did her much good considering the Draenei was currently inside a large building filled with humans. She glared at the structure. Was Golau a prisoner? The Worgen had seen how her comrade had fought alongside two strange warriors to take down that Death Knight and his Ghoul. Surely the Paladin wouldn't be considered an enemy after that?

The Mage sighed in exasperation. She needed to get inside the building and find that sanctimonious space goat. Rhewi wasn't overly fond of Golau, but they _were_ allies. Plus Burn would give her the "disappointed bear eyes" if she didn't help his blue-skinned friend. With a low growl and some muttered words, Rhewi faded until she became Invisible. The spell wouldn't last forever so she needed to move quickly. She darted into the building as a pair of humans in dark suits exited. Rhewi was inside…now, to find Golaugost and get out without causing too much of a commotion.

Harvist soared about the city and considered the next course of action. She knew her Death Knight friend was inside that building. She also knew he was likely to be locked up in the most secure cage those humans had. 'Ice was such an idiot! She'd been afraid he'd do something to get into trouble. The elf had accepted Harvist as his leader, and with that agreed to respect and uphold her values. But he did tend to go a bit out of control when left on his own for too long. Death Knights! Sometimes it was like dealing with a spoiled child. The stormcrow squawked in exasperation.

A shadow moved on a nearby roof. There was something familiar about the dark shape. Harvist swooped closer and chirped in pleased surprise. A familiar face at last! The stormcrow dove for the figure on the roof, cawing in greeting. The Troll leapt back just in time to avoid a face full of brown feathers. Harvist landed beside Shishido and quickly transformed back to Tauren.

"I am so happy to see you, 'Shido! And you as well, Choutaro. Did you have any trouble with the local Humans? I found 'Ice last night, but we'll have to break him out of that building across the road."

Harvist petted the white lion as she spoke to her friend. The Troll had been fighting alongside herself and 'Ice when the flash of light had occurred. It was good to find 'Shido unharmed. The Hunter's skills would be invaluable in freeing their Death Knight.

"No trouble wit da Humans, mon. Cho and me, we go high right off. Avoid everyone. I know 'Ice be captured. I saw dat fool elf fightin' in da streets. Was hopin' ta find ya, and here ya be."

"I think you're the only one of us that hasn't been seen. I tried to help a fellow Druid, but he was captured. I barely got away myself."

'Shido eyed Harvist carefully at that comment.

"I don't recall any Druids wit us before we come here. Unless you be talkin' 'bout dat Night Elf."

The Troll's lips curled into a disgusted sneer as the said "Night Elf." The animosity between Trolls and Elves went back thousands of years, and even having Blood Elves as allies had done little to lessen traditional hatreds. Harvist sighed.

"Yes, it was the Night Elf. Don't give me that look. You know I'll aid a fellow Druid in need, regardless of race or faction allegiance. Unless they're trying to kill my friends."

'Shido sniffed, but didn't say anything more on the matter. The Tauren knew her silence did not mean agreement. It was an old argument, and they'd decided long ago to just agree to disagree. Harvist was a member of the Horde, but she was also part of the Cenarian Circle. That Nature-obsessed Druidic organization was made up of members of both Horde and Alliance, so faction disputes were usually put aside for the Greater Good.

"So I been watchin' da building since last night. Best way in is ta send Cho Prowlin' for reconnaissance. Den we go in, grab 'Ice, an be gone 'fore day know what happened."

"You'd use Eyes of the Beast on Choutaro? Sounds good. You should be safe enough up here. I don't think the Humans spend much time on top of their tall buildings. I'll Prowl in, too, though. If we run into trouble, you'll be our backup."

Harvist transformed into her lion-like Cat form as 'Shido concentrated on her pet. 'Eyes of the Beast' was a useful Hunter spell, but it had drawbacks. While it allowed the Hunter to see and hear through their pet, as well as give commands, it left the Hunter's body vulnerable to attack. While the spell remained active, 'Shido would have no knowledge of her surroundings, and would be unable to move until the connection was broken. It was a risky plan. If someone happened to see the Troll hiding on the roof, she'd be defenseless. But if all three of them went into the building in search of 'Ice, there would be no one to come to the rescue if things went badly. Really, Harvist figured the risk was worth it when all options were weighed.

The white lion looked at the Druid and motioned with his head to indicate they should get moving. 'Shido was in control. Harvist nodded as she concentrated on Prowling. Choutaro did the same. The two large felines faded to near-invisible as they carefully made their way down the fire escape and across the road. It took a few moments for the door to be opened by a Human in a dark suit. The cats dashed inside quickly, nearly getting themselves stuck as the two large bodies passed through the door simultaneously.

Once inside Harvist took the lead. She sniffed the air for any hint of her missing friend, but found no trace of 'Ice's unique scent. All Death Knights smelled of Decay, but 'Ice also had hints of Blood, Cold and Jasmine. So far as Harvist was aware, he was the only creature that used Twilight Jasmine scented soap. It made him easy to pick out in a crowd. Unfortunately, there was no hint of a jasmine-scented corpse in the building's lobby. The Druid huffed quietly and headed down a hallway in search of stairs, Choutaro close on her heels. Prisoners were usually held in the dungeon, so the search would start on the lowest level they could reach. It was a large building and Humans were everywhere so they had to be very careful to avoid being stepped on. Unless they got lucky, it was going to be a very long day.

Rhewi considered the door in front of her with a frown. She'd followed a man pushing a metal cart piled high with covered trays after hearing him say something about "food for the prisoners." The man had led her to this spot before disappearing into the room beyond. The large cart had made it impossible for the Mage to sneak inside with him, unfortunately. She'd just have to wait until someone opened the door again and hope there was enough space to slip inside.

What seemed like an eternity later (but was in reality no more than thirty minutes) the door swung open. Rhewi quickly ducked into the room as the man with the cart came out. She looked around for any more Humans, but saw none. Inside the room was a line of cells, the front of which were made of what looked to be glass. The Mage snorted softly. Surely it wasn't _actually_ glass? It had to be something stronger to be used in prison cells. Glass would be far too easy for the occupants to shatter and escape.

The nearest cell contained a Ghoul, which was chewing on a metal tray. Remnants of the foul creature's meal littered the floor. It apparently didn't like meatloaf. Rhewi scrunched up her nose in disgust as she observed the undead thing. It looked to be "fresh." That Death Knight must have raised it from a freshly slain corpse. The clothing, while ripped and bloody, was mostly intact. A stain of red on the chest indicated where the deathblow had pierced the body. This had been a living Human yesterday. Today it was a mindless abomination that served no purpose other than to kill. Tragic as the Ghoul's situation was, Rhewi would gladly burn it to cinders with a Fireball if she had the opportunity.

The next cell was empty, but the one after it held a familiar form. The Death Knight she'd seen the night before paced back and forth like a caged animal, muttering to himself in agitation. The tray of food sat untouched on the floor near a slot in the not-glass wall. Obviously these Humans didn't know anything about the undead. While they could eat, they didn't really need food to survive. Not like a living creature needed food. The Blood Elf paused in his pacing, glared at the tray, cursed in Thalassian, then continued as before. He gave no indication of sensing Rhewi's presence.

The Mage kept to the far wall as she passed the Death Knight's cell. She turned her attention to the next enclosure and was met with an unexpected yet welcome sight. This one held a large pile of plum-colored fluff. Rhewi tapped on the not-glass. The Bear grumbled and shifted into a sitting position, amber eyes searching for the source of the noise. She cancelled her Invisibility spell once Burn was looking in her direction.

"You are so lucky I found, Burn. I didn't even realize you'd been transported along with the rest of us. How did you manage to get yourself in this cage? Actually…don't answer that. I can imagine how it happened all on my own."

The bear sniffed at her, a slightly affronted look crossing his face. Rhewi grinned. She still had to find Golau, but with Burn to help the search would go so much faster. She turned her attention to the cell's door. It had some kind of device on it that she was unfamiliar with. Her eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to open the door, would you? I've never seen anything like this before."

Burn shook his head. No help from the bear, then. She'd just have to figure out how to open the door on her own.

"I don't suppose you'd care to open my cell after you've gotten that walking rug out of his? I'm sure we could come to some mutually beneficial arrangement if you free me."

Rhewi turned to the Death Knight and snarled. He was smirking at her! Smirking! The arrogance of that elf, actually daring to ask her to let him out! Well, he'd just have to stay put. She didn't need some Horde jerk tagging along; especially not a Death Knight! The Worgen had serious issues with the undead members of the Horde. They'd invaded her home and driven most of her people to seek asylum with the Night Elves. If it didn't have a pulse, Rhewi had no intention of helping it. She glared once more before deciding to ignore the Blood Elf and concentrate on getting Burn free.

"Very well. I'll be here when you realize you need my help to get out of the building."

Doing her best to ignore the arrogant jerk in the next cell, Rhewi focused her attention on the lock of Burn's prison. She wasn't very technologically savvy. Maybe Burn could have figured something out if he'd been on this side of the glass, but she was clueless. Oh, well. She was a Mage, wasn't she? She'd just have to go with what she knew.

"Stand back. I'm going to try something. You might want to cover your face."

The bear quickly moved to the rear wall and shoved it snout between his forepaws. Rhewi took a deep breath, concentrated on pooling her power, then took a single step back and "threw" a Frostbolt at the lock. She quickly followed that with a blazing Fireball. The locking mechanism was frozen solid, then heated to molten temperatures in a matter of seconds. It shattered in an impressive spray of metal chunks and bits of wire. Rhewi had just enough time to smile at her success before the alarms sounded.

Burn charged out of the cell and, to Rhewi's considerable confusion, pawed at the lock on the Death Knight's door. The Mage got the message. She endured the Blood Elf's arrogant smirk as she blasted the lock to tiny bits. She reluctantly freed the Ghoul as well. The Death Knight was lacking his weapon, so the Ghoul was actually necessary for defense. At least it wasn't going to run wild with its Master around.

The trio (plus Ghoul) ran for the exit, but before they reached the door it burst open as a group of armed and armored Humans piled in. The Azerothians froze in surprise. Burn roared and charged into the obstacle. The Humans had enough sense to realize that standing in front of a giant pissed-off bear was not a good idea. They dove to the side, leaving a path for Rhewi and 'Ice to follow Burn. In the hallway were even more armed Humans. They looked to be a bit busy fending off two large white felines. The Death Knight smiled in glee as he joined the melee. Rhewi noticed that one of the cats had horns, and realized it must be a Tauren Druid in cat form. A friend of Burn's, perhaps? Most Druids she knew did have an "help each other" policy. Was that why Burn had insisted on freeing the Death Knight? Because he knew the jerk was friends with a fellow Druid?

Rhewi shook her head to be rid of her many questions. There would be time for pondering "why" later. Right now, they had to get out of the building and away from the Humans as soon as possible. And Golaugost was still missing! She wasn't looking forward to having to come back and find him. She turned her full attention to the fight before her and readied a spell.

Golaugost eyed Thor carefully as he pondered his next move. Steve stood nearby watching as the two traded blows. Sparring had been the Asgardian's idea originally, and once the meaning was conveyed Golau had been all too happy to accept the challenge. He liked these Humans partly because they seemed to be more than Human. They both could take blows that would seriously injure a typical member of their species and do so without even bruising. The Draenei enjoyed being able to indulge in some friendly hand-to-hand sparring without worrying about hurting his smaller opponent. So far he'd used the exercise to judge the character of the two men. They both seemed to be honorable warriors with good hearts. Golau would eat his shield if this judgment of their character proved false.

When the Humans had brought him in the night before, they had first started off in the same direction as the Death Knight. But Thor had noticed and stopped them. After some arguing and the arrival of a man in a dark suit, it seemed a decision had been made. Thor led Golau to a bland room with little furniture but very secure looking doors and windows. Steve had arrived shortly and the three had set about getting to know one another.

Communicating was a bit difficult for the three, but they managed well enough with gestures and facial expressions. Finding out each other's names had been the easiest part. Trying to convey "let's spar" without words was a bit more difficult. The Paladin was trying to memorize every word they said in hopes of eventually learning their language. He had many questions and no way to convey them. Where had they taken the Death Knight? Who were they? Had they seen any of his friends?

Golaugost especially wanted to know about his missing allies. Rhewi and Burn were most likely somewhere in the strange city. The Death Knight's presence was proof enough that others from Azeroth had been transported here as well. Perhaps these Humans he'd befriended already knew something. Perhaps they'd be willing to help him find his friends.

The sudden blaring of sirens and flashing of lights startled all three into action. Golau recognized an alarm when he heard one. Thor and Steve both ran for the door. Having nothing better to do, the Draenei followed them. No one tried to stop him as he chased after the two warriors. Several flights of stairs later the trio found themselves in the midst of chaos. Golaugost recognized Burn and Rhewi amongst the combatants. While pleased to see them, he knew this wasn't going to end well. His new friends couldn't understand him, and most of the Humans would only see him as an enemy if he tried to help his allies. Then the Paladin's eyes fell upon a figure in black armor. The Death Knight! He was free and fighting, but lacking his large sword. Golau's blue eyes narrowed as he made his decision. He gave a great warcry as he charged into the melee, heading directly for that undead abomination.

The alarm seemed louder than usual as the Black Widow raced towards the holding cells. Agent Natasha Romanoff was Not In The Mood For This Shit. She'd spent the entire day before helping track down and catalog all those strange energy anomalies. That was after they'd dealt with the insane scientist's rampage. They still didn't know where the man himself had disappeared to. Then last night she'd been awakened and put on standby in case Steve and Thor needed backup. At least they'd resolved that particular emergency without her. Natasha had no interest in fighting zombies. She'd rather be sleeping at that point.

Agent Romanoff rounded a corner and found herself in the midst of an all-out brawl that would be more at home in a bar than a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. Security personnel were futilely trying to overpower the strangest group of adversaries Natasha had ever seen. There was a purple bear, two white lions (one of which had horns), a zombie, an elf in black armor, a blue demon and a…

Natasha blinked. A werewolf. With everything else, the werewolf really should not have fazed her. But right there in the hallway was a brown-furred wolf-lady hurling fireballs and icicles from her fingertips. Beside the werewolf was a strange being that appeared to be made entirely of water. It, too, was hurling blasts of ice at its opponents.

The Black Widow took one deep breath before going to work. She leapt into the fray with grace and determination. A blow to the nose stunned the bear for a second, allowing Steve to get a good hold around its neck. The demon was fighting the elf (just as it had in the streets the night before) so she ignored those two. Thor seemed to have decided on taking out the lions. The felines were quite fast and managed to dodge the Asgardian's swings, but they were so busy avoiding Mjölnir that they didn't have time to attack. That left the werewolf.

The red-haired Agent managed to avoid being hit by a ball of flaming ice as she got in closer to the magic-wielding she-wolf. There was no time to wonder how ice could be on fire as Natasha blocked a blow from the clawed hand. The werewolf's lips curled back in a snarl, revealing an impressive set of extremely sharp pearly-white teeth. One punch later and the canine creature yelped in pain as she was forced back. It seemed the werewolf wasn't much of a melee fighter. Get in close enough to avoid the ice and fire and a single hit could knock her down. Especially when the one doing the hitting was wearing electric bracelets that delivered a shock on impact.

Natasha glanced up in time to see the horned lion back up against a wall. Suddenly, to her shock, it wasn't a lion anymore. Where the cat had been there now stood a monster. It looked as if someone had combined a bear and an owl, then stuck the horns of a cow on its head. Tawny feathers covered the massive body. Hooked talons tipped each toe and finger. Fierce blue eyes glared out from an avian head. The creature let out a deep warcry that sounded like something between the roar of a lion and the shriek of a hawk. The red-haired Agent tensed her body in preparation for an attack.

Several SHIELD personnel rushed at the massive creature in a futile attempt to overpower it. The feathered arms were raised above its head before being slung forwards in a violent motion. Everyone in the hall in front of the beast was suddenly thrown backwards, including the other strangers. It seemed the fight was about to get bloody with this new addition.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Everyone, owl-beast included, turned as one towards the irate screaming. Standing in the hallway, flanked by Agents Hill and Coulson, was Director Nick Fury. The one-eyed man had a thunderous look on his face as he gazed at the assorted pile of Agents and Enemies. No one dared move for fear of bringing the Director's wrath upon themselves.

To Natasha's surprise, the brown werewolf stood up and took a few cautious steps forward.

"We didn't mean to start a fight. I was just looking for my friends. If you let me explain I'm sure we can resolve this without further violence."

The werewolf actually looked nervous. She hissed something in an unknown language and the other strangers, presumably her friends, slowly raised their hands in a show of surrender. All except the elf in the black armor. He crossed his arms but didn't make any hostile moves, unless you considered glaring at everyone to be hostile.

Director Fury gazed unblinking at the group as he considered his next move. Finally, he came to a decision.

"Alright. You get one chance to explain yourselves. One! You will take no action that can be considered hostile. Agent Coulson will lead you to a room where we can talk. I'll join you shortly."

The Director motioned for the motley group to get moving. They quietly followed Coulson down the hallway towards a conference room. Natasha decided she was going to be there for that meeting, one way or another. A glance at the nearest air vent showed that Hawkeye had a similar plan. The archer smiled at her from the safety of the ventilation shaft, then moved out of sight. Agent Romanoff gave one last look to the assorted SHIELD personnel in the hallway before heading after Coulson.


	7. We Need To Talk

Agent Coulson lead the strange group to an empty conference room. He couldn't help but notice that they'd split into two distinct groups. The werewolf, demon and bear followed closely behind him, while the owl-beast, swordsman, zombie and lion lagged a little behind. Upon entering the meeting room this division was even more apparent as the two groups chose to sit at opposite sides of the large oval table. Phil remained standing near the door so as to better study the non-humans. The werewolf was in whispered conversation with her two friends. Every so often she darted a quick glance in his direction. The demon was relaxed as they chatted and never once looked towards the Agent. The bear seemed to be listening intently as the other two spoke. Any other day and Agent Coulson might consider that odd, but this was a giant purple bear wearing feathered armbands and an acorn necklace. Not your average woodland creature.

The other side of the table was silent. Phil was mildly amused to see the owl-beast staring in exasperation at the sulking swordsman. And sulking the black-clad figure indeed was with arms crossed, head down, and glaring fiercely at the table in front of him. The zombie stood quietly behind its master, seemingly unconcerned with anything happening around it. The white lion had curled up near the feet of the owl-beast and was calmly observing everyone with eyes that held far more intelligence than a typical beast.

The door opened only a few moments after the strange group had taken their seats. Agents Romanoff and Barton entered the room as if they belonged there. Phil didn't comment. If Fury wanted them excluded from the meeting, he could tell them himself. Agent Coulson wondered how long it would be before the rest of the Avengers showed up. Sure enough, Captain Rogers and Thor arrived less than a minute later. The two exchanged nods of greeting with the blue demon. Phil wondered how long it would take Stark and Banner to arrive when his attention was suddenly drawn to the werewolf. She had started chanting and moving her hands in a strange manner. The demon motioned for everyone to stay calm. He didn't appear alarmed by his companion's actions. The Agent debated whether to interrupt or not. The blue-skinned creature had formed a sort of warrior's bond with Captain Rogers and Thor. From what little Phil had seen, he figured it was unlikely that the demon would allow his companion to harm his new friends.

The spell glowed white-blue and spread to touch all of the non-humans sitting at the table. As it touched them the light dissipated, having seemingly done nothing. Had the spell failed?

"Did it work, Rhewi?"

Well…that explained what the spell was for. The blue demon had spoken perfect English when only moments before he'd had no understanding of the language. Phil was somewhat relieved to know that the language barrier was no longer a problem. It would help things progress much more quickly once the Director arrived.

Tony Stark was so curious he could barely contain himself. The billionaire had been working alongside Dr. Banner analyzing the readings S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken of the numerous anomalies that had appeared across the city the previous day when alarms sounded. Not having the Iron Man suit on hand, Tony had been forced to remain with Bruce when the lights started flashing red. Whatever had happened ended relatively quickly, so the inventor told himself the excitement would've been over by the time he got there even if he had had his armor. Fury's call instructing them to report to one of the conference rooms on the lower levels had been a surprise. Apparently there was going ot be a meeting of some sort and the Avengers were needed. Tony turned to Bruce as they walked.

"So what are the odds this surprise gathering has something to do with the alarm?"

"Pretty good, and you already knew that. Hopefully the meeting isn't about anything too terrible. I'd rather not deal with any apocalyptic events today. We're headed to the same floor as the cells where S.H.I.E.L.D. is holding the hostiles from yesterday."

"It's that floor? Oh, please don't let that walking carpet have gotten out if its cage. I still haven't gotten the dents out of my suit! Do you have any idea how strong that thing's jaws have to be to do that sort of damage to my armor?"

"I have a pretty good idea, yes. And I doubt they'd let me down here if a giant bear was rampaging through the halls. The Other Guy would just make things worse."

"Point. I still think Fury should've turned that best in a rug."

Upon entering the designated meeting room, Tony stopped dead in his tracks. There was a large purple bear sitting at the table between a werewolf and the blue demon. The same bear he Did Not want to see. The creature sniffed the air in direction of the new arrivals. Its amber eyes widened and it galloped around the table towards the billionaire. Tony's pulse skyrocketed as those powerful jaws parted, revealing the lavender tongue and sharp teeth within. Before anyone in the room had time to react, the fluffy monster had reached his goal. It stood up on its hind legs and wrapped the inventor in its muscular arms.

The billionaire let out a rather high-pitched scream as the furry forelimbs held him in a firm embrace. The muzzle full of sharp teeth moved towards Tony's head. The man shut his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable pain of having his face mauled off. The sensation of a large wet tongue sliding across his cheek was the last thing he'd expected to feel. Tony opened his eyes in shock as he realized what had just happened. The giant bear was hugging him tight and licking his face as if it was an oversized dog! The inventor could only stare in disbelief as a warm rumble came from the beast's chest; probably the closest it could manage to a purr.

"What the HELL?!"

Tony's indignant exclamation shattered the tension that had built up in the room. The strangers burst into laughter, as did most of the Avengers. Agents Coulson and Romanoff settled for amused smirks. Tony glared at the room's occupants.

"It's not funny! I thought this walking rug was going to eat me! Bad Bear! Put the billionaire down. And stop licking me! Your breath smells like salmon."

Surprisingly, the beast did partially obey the man's demands. It stopped licking his face and loosened its hold slightly. Then it started shrinking. Tony watched in fascination as the bear turned into something a bit more human looking. The plum-colored fur melted away to reveal dark rose-pink skin. Paws became hands, claws became fingernails, and the ears became more backswept, although they were still about a foot long and pointed. The muzzle retracted into a face which now sported strong cheekbones and eyebrows that extended for at least twelve inches to either side. The softly glowing amber eyes were the only feature that remained unchanged. Tony blinked as he noted he was now being held by an over-seven-foot-tall man with neon green hair and the worst fashion sense he'd ever had the misfortune of seeing. The clothing consisted of a sort of harness across the chest and leather pants with many straps. Everything was in the most god-awful shade of eye-searing orange. The leather outfit clashed horribly with the pink skin, and guy was certainly showing a lot of skin. Tony looked up and met the gaze of those amber eyes.

"Okay, this just got incredibly awkward."

"My apologies, Human. I recognized your scent from our altercation yesterday. I'm afraid I just couldn't resist giving you a proper Bear Hug now that you've removed your armor."

The not-bear smiled as Tony narrowed his eyes. The inventor opened his mouth for what was going to be a witty retort when he was interrupted by Fury's sudden arrival.

"Stark! Stop trying to seduce that alien and sit down. The last thing I need to deal with today is some interspecies romance scandal."

"Hey! I wasn't-"

"I don't care. We have a lot to discuss and my time is valuable."

Fury motioned for those still standing to take their seats at the table. He'd brought Hill with him, and took the seat beside her for himself. His one-eyed gaze swept across those present as he began speaking.

"I am Director Nicholas Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. That means I'm in charge. To my right is Agent Hill. Beside her is Agent Coulson. The rest of these people are collectively known as the Avengers. They are Agents Romanoff and Barton of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain Rogers, Thor, Dr. Banner, and that clown is Mr. Stark. Now, I'm very interested to learn who you all are, and why and how you got here."

The Director had pointed to each person as he gave their names. The werewolf took the lead and did the same as she introduced herself and her companions.

"Introductions first, then we'll tell you what we can about how we came to be in your city. Our world is named Azeroth. My name is Rhewi. I'm a Worgen from Gilneas. The "demon" on my left is Golaugost. He's a Draenei. They're kind of touchy about being called Demons, by the way. The eyesore on my right is Burn. He's Kaldorei, generally known as a Night Elf, from Teldrassil. We're members of the Alliance; a faction which includes several different species, including Humans. Now I'll let the others introduce themselves."

Rhewi sat back in her chair as the owl-beast took over. The feathered creature stood up and...went up in a puff of smoke. Everyone blinked as they stared at something that looked suspiciously like a female minotaur. She stood nearly eight feet tall. Her body was covered in short white fur. Blue eyes gazed from a cow-like head topped with a pair of short (relatively speaking) yet sharp horns. She cleared her throat as she started speaking in a soothing voice.

"My name is Harvist, and I'm a Tauren from Mulgore. The lion is Choutaro. He is very special and quite intelligent. My sulky friend is called 'Ice. He is Sindorei, or a Blood Elf. The Ghoul behind him is his pet. It's a mindless abomination that will obey his every command. Do not be alarmed. The Ghoul obeys 'Ice, but 'Ice obeys me. Most of the time, anyway."

Harvist paused to give her elven friend a pointed look. He responded with a sneer, but didn't contradict her. The Tauren sat down, then continued speaking.

"We are members of the Horde. Traditionally, we are enemies of the Alliance. Given our present situation, it might be best to put those faction rivalries on hold until we've found a way to get back home. We were in Feralas, fighting a group of Twilight's Hammer cultists. There was a bright flash, and then I woke up alone on a strange world. I'm not sure how we got here. Rhewi, you're a Mage. Perhaps you know something?"

The Worgen cocked her head to the side and thought for a moment. She looked towards the Draenei, but he shook his head.

"Well…I think that Satyr the cultists were protecting was casting some kind of portal spell. But it went wrong. Without knowing exactly what spell he was trying to cast I'm afraid it's going to be difficult to reverse whatever he did and get us back to Azeroth. Golau has experience with travelling between worlds, and he doesn't have any useful ideas, either."

Director Fury studied the Azerothians for a moment. His face gave away nothing of his thoughts about what the strangers had just told him. Tony could imagine what the man was thinking, though. The aliens were from another world and apparently had Magic. They had also admitted to being each other's enemies. That could cause problems for the people of Earth if they decided to toss aside the truce and fight each other. People had already died, after all. At the same time, there was probably a lot that S.H.I.E.L.D. could learn from these strangers. The billionaire was very interested to see how Fury handled the situation.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. will do what it can to help get you back to your own world. For now, however, we need to figure out what to do with you until then. I can't let any of you go running around the city. It would cause panic, as we've already witnessed. And while most of you haven't intentionally caused trouble, one of you is responsible for the deaths of nearly two dozen people. I'm not about to let a murderer go free, regardless of what planet he's from."

Everyone turned to look at 'Ice as the Director finished speaking. The Blood Elf's face was a mask of stony indifference, but his posture had become rigid. The Ghoul seemed to sense its master's discomfort and started fidgeting. Harvist opened her mouth to speak, but 'Ice held up a hand to silence her. He sat up straighter and placed his hands on the table. His cold blue eyes met Fury's gaze as he spoke in that disturbing echoing voice.

"I am a Death Knight. Do you know what that means, Human? No? I was once a warrior who fought to defend my people. When the Scourge came, much of my home was destroyed and many died. The undead hoards corrupted all they touched. The land has yet to recover. It was after this invasion that we became known as Blood Elves, in honor of our fallen. You cannot fathom the number of us who died only to be raised to fight for the enemy as mindless Ghouls. And I…I, too, was slain in that war. I died. But I didn't become a Ghoul. Oh, no. I was raised into Undeath as something far worse.

"I am…was an elite warrior of the Scourge. I was a commander of the undead forces, gleefully slaughtering those I once called friend. And I was very good at killing. No pity, no hesitation, no remorse. And then something astonishing happened. I, along with many brothers and sisters of the Scourge, went into a battle on Holy Ground…and we lost. I regained my free will, my memory of what I had been in life. I was suddenly able to look back upon the atrocities I'd committed and feel a sense of horror at what I'd done. I awoke from the nightmare, regained control over myself, but I was still a monster. You see, Death Knights suffer a constant hunger for blood and pain. To resist leads to madness. And so I slake my thirst with the blood of enemies, for I have no desire to slaughter friends.

"I tell you this so that you can comprehend what I am and why I killed those people. I once again awoke from battle in a strange place, surrounded by those I considered my enemy. I took actions I considered necessary at the time. Humans are enemies of the Horde, Director. To me, those deaths were justified. And you're wrong. I killed only half the number you mentioned. The rest were already dead. I merely reanimated them to serve my purpose. I can make you this one promise, Human. I promise not to 'murder' any more of your people unless absolutely necessary."

Silence reigned as the Humans absorbed what the Blood Elf had revealed to them. The Azerothians were already familiar with Death Knights, but 'Ice's speech had still made them shiver slightly. The elf certainly had a knack for unsettling stories. Tony knew what it was like to suddenly realize that you were responsible for the deaths of people you'd meant to protect. His weapons had been sold to the enemy and used against his own side. But that was different from killing innocents with your own hands. Had 'Ice personally killed anyone he'd considered a friend? Had he murdered a loved one during his time as a Scourge commander? Tony couldn't imagine what it would be like to wake up one day only to discover he'd killed Pepper. He's probably go insane with grief. Was 'Ice insane?

"So it's not just the Death Knights of the Alliance who are drama queens."

All eyes were on Burn. The Blood Elf huffed, crossed his arms, and returned to his sulky pose as he glared at the Night Elf. The Tauren sighed.

"He might be a bit dramatic, but 'Ice speaks the truth. His actions upon arriving in your world are regrettable, but understandable. It won't happen again, Director Fury. I'm used to keeping him out of trouble. I'll make sure he behaves."

The Director eyed Harvist. It was obvious he didn't fully believe she could keep her homicidal companion under control. At the same time, the aliens probably weren't going to allow one of their own to be locked away in a cell. S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have the facilities to keep the entire group securely imprisoned, so a compromise was needed. Fury spoke, choosing his words carefully.

"I'll accept that such actions might be permissible on your world, but this is Earth. Murder is frowned upon here. I can't allow your Death Knight to roam free after what he's done. I'll allow him the same freedom as the rest of you, however, so long as a capable S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is with him at all times. If he so much as sneezes in a threatening manner, he's going straight back to his cell. Is that understood?"

"It's…probably the best I could hope for. We accept those terms, Director."

"Good. Now we have the issue of where to house you all until a method is found to return you to your own world. You can't stay here. This facility isn't equipped to deal with alien bears and owl-beasts. Stark, that tower of yours has space for our guests and also has the benefit of being a secure structure. I'm sure you won't mind playing host."

Tony stared at Fury in momentary annoyance. Where did that cyclops get off volunteering him to play baby sitter? Then the inventor realized that this could play out in his favor. He'd have the aliens available at any time to answer whatever questions popped into his head. There was so much to learn from the strangers! Like how it was possible for a purple bear to turn into a pink elf. He so owed that Night Elf for the "bear hug" earlier. Revenge would be much easier if they were staying in his tower. Tony smiled mischievously as he faced the Azerothians.

"Have you guys ever had shawarma?"


	8. Trolls In The Tower

Shishido eyed the massive structure warily from her perch atop a nearby roof. The building towered above its neighbors, shining brightly in the golden rays of the setting sun. The Hunter huffed in annoyance. She needed to get inside the monolith without being noticed. 'Shido had broken off the spell that allowed her to see through her lion's eyes shortly after the group of Azerothians had been escorted to black metal vehicles. The Troll had left Choutaro instructions to stay with Harvist, then followed her friends as they were taken to the sleek tower.

The Troll stood and stretched her lithe body in the fading light. It was now dark enough for her to begin infiltrating the structure. 'Shido ran, hopping from roof to roof until she was facing the exterior wall of the tower. With a flying leap the Hunter tackled the side of the building, quickly securing a hand-hold on a window ledge. Her long limbs were ideal for climbing and she moved much faster than was possible for a Human. The Troll made good time scrambling up the outside of the structure.

It was full dark by the time 'Shido neared the top and found the proper balcony. She smiled at the sight of a large tawny feather lying just inside the glass door. Trust Harvist to leave a clue letting her know which floor the other Azerothians had been taken to. Now 'Shido just needed to get inside without alerting the locals. It wouldn't do to be spotted before she'd had a chance to reunite with her friends.

The Hunter was somewhat surprised to find the door unlocked. Now, granted, this high up the chances of a break-in were pretty slim, but still. Maybe Harvist had made sure it was open for her. Or maybe these Humans honestly didn't think anyone could get up here without being noticed. Either way, 'Shido was able to soundlessly open the glass door and slip inside. She crept cautiously through the room, eyes and ears alert for danger. The room was brightly lit but apparently deserted. The Troll looked around carefully for any sign of which direction she might find her friends.

A soft scraping noise caught 'Shido's attention. It was almost undetectable, but her hearing was quite keen. Something else was nearby. She tried to act as if she'd heard nothing while she scanned the room. There! A metal grate high on the wall, presumably for ventilation if she recalled those Gnomish dwellings correctly. That would make a good hiding spot for someone small enough. Carefully, the Troll moved closer to the vent without giving away that she suspected anything odd. As she came within a few yards of it, the metal grate suddenly flew off the wall, followed immediately by an arrow. 'Shido jumped out of the way with reflexes that would make a cat jealous. She reached for her own bow and nocked an arrow as her eyes sought the enemy.

A male Human dropped out of the ventilation shaft holding a bow, a second arrow already flying towards the Troll. 'Shido only barely missed being seriously injured this time. The arrow sank into her left shoulder. Had she been any slower to dodge, it would have hit a more vital location. The Troll cursed in her native tongue and her own arrow flew wild. She missed the Human, of course, but it was enough to make him dive for cover behind a plush chair. 'Shido did the same, crouching behind a large sofa. She'd recognized the Human from that meeting earlier. He was one of the Avengers they'd been introduced to. It would be a bad idea to hurt him, but the archer might not give her a choice in the matter. She certainly wasn't going to just let him shoot her full of arrows.

"I know who you are, Human! I be no threat to ya."

The man's replying shout made no sense. 'Shido blinked, then cursed again as she realized that the Mage's translation spell hadn't travelled through her link with 'Taro. She broke the shaft of the arrow that was protruding from her shoulder. Anything further to treat her wound would have to wait. She could still use the limb, at least. Peering over the back of the sofa, the Hunter nocked and arrow and aimed for the Human. He released his own arrow a split second after she'd fired her own. The two arrows soared through the air only the shatter and fly off-course as they met midair. 'Shido blinked. The Human, too, appeared to be just as surprised. Their eyes met and they just stared at one another in mutual shock.

"What in the name of Malorne is going on in here?!"

'Shido jumped and nocked another arrow, turning towards the intruder. It was the man who'd suffered a "bear hug" at the meeting. She vaguely remembered someone mentioning armor, which he was not wearing. What kind of suicidal idiot would burst into a combat situation without so much as the minimum of protective gear? But while he'd shouted first, the words she's understood had come from the figure standing beside him.

"Harvist! I just be joining da party, and dis fella come burstin' outta da wall. Can't understand a word he be sayin', but those arrows speak loud enough by demselves."

The Tauren sighed, then explained to the Humans that 'Shido was a friend who hadn't meant any harm. She'd only been trying to rejoin the group, and yes, Harvist probably should have mentioned that she would show up. Warning the resident Humans might have prevented 'Shido's injury, but the Troll had to admit to herself that the brief exchange of arrows had been slightly fun. Her shoulder would be good as new soon enough, so no real harm done, right?

"I'll take you to the Worgen Mage and see if she can cast that translation spell. It's going to get old fast if I have to constantly translate for you. I also need to take a look at that shoulder wound. I know you heal fast, but I'm still going to do what I can for you."

Harvist dragged 'Shido out of the room as the two Humans began shouting at each other. The way the Druid rolled her eyes spoke volumes about what was being said. It was the same eye-roll Harvist did when 'Ice was being especially childish. The Troll grinned as she followed her friend down the hall. New world, same personality types. Perhaps these Humans weren't as alien as she'd thought.

"I swear, she came in through the balcony door. The _unlocked_ balcony door, I might mention. Aren't you supposed to have the best security there is in this place?"

"My security is amazing! I kne-"

"It obviously isn't amazing enough if random monsters can just walk in through an open door! Seriously, Stark, I'd think you'd have automatic locks in a place like this."

The shouting match between Tony Stark and Clint Barton had been going on for a full five minutes before Natasha decided to make an appearance. She didn't say a word; just walked into the room in full view of both men and stood there silently staring at them. They soon quieted under her frigid gaze.

"Would one of you like to tell me what happened? Clint?"

"I was in the vent-"

"HOW do you keep getting in there?!"

"Shut it, Stark. So I was in the vent shaft when I thought I heard the balcony door open. I knew for a fact no one was out there, so I looked. That…creature was sneaking around the room. I figured she was up to no good, so I confronted her. Turns out, she's not a bad shot with a bow."

Clint motioned towards the remains of the two arrows that still lay on the floor. Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"I assume this "creature" has been dealt with?"

"Yeah, turns out she's one of Harvist's friends. I have been assured that there will be no more surprise guests. At least, not from her group."

Natasha nodded and turned her attention from Clint to Tony. The billionaire didn't seem to have anything to add to Clint's account of what happened. Well, nothing aside from the usual complaints about how people didn't belong in the vent shafts. Those two seemed to have some sort of contest going; Tony would try to secure the vents, and Clint would break into them. So far, Agent Barton was in the lead. Natasha suspected things might be different if Stark _really_ wanted Clint out of the vents. She eyed the balcony door a moment before turning to leave.

"Stark, there's a hole in your security. Fix it."

Morning dawned to find the tower's inhabitants in less than cheerful spirits. Shishido's arrival had been reported to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the rest of the Avengers. The white lion had been overjoyed to see his master, but the rest of the Azerothians had not seemed overly thrilled. Harvist was the exception. 'Ice, who was supposedly the Troll's friend as well, just glared. The Humans were coming to realize that the sour expression was perfectly normal for the Death Knight.

Breakfast was attended by all the Azerothians and most of the Avengers. Harvist shocked the Humans when she helped herself to a large portion of bacon.

"Just because I look like a cow doesn't mean I eat like one."

The conversation turned towards favorite foods. 'Shido's comments about the taste of Human as compared to Elf had even the Azerothians looking a little green. Apparently Trolls weren't picky eaters. Both Burn and 'Ice found excuses to move further away after that. Thor began telling stories of some of the foes he'd faced who'd had strange eating habits. Breakfast ended shortly thereafter.

Tony blinked.

Nope. Still there.

Two tiny green eyes glowed softly in the dim light of the crawlspace. The billionaire had skipped breakfast in favor of continuing his work on the security system. Locked door or not, JARVIS should have informed him the instant someone unauthorized entered the tower. It had taken hours to find the fault in the system. Something had chewed through the wires that interfaced with the balcony door. Tony suspected he'd just found the responsible party.

The green-eyed saboteur was about sixteen inches long, including the tail. Its body was silver with red and gold. It sat up on its hind legs and chittered. Tony decided that if the thing was going to attack, it would have done so already. He reached in and grabbed the small metal robot. It wriggled in his grasp, but lacked the strength to break free. The man then carried it with him to the common lounging area. Luck seemed to be with him, because most of his guests and fellow Avengers were in the room. He made sure to hide his prize behind his back as he entered.

"Hey, guys! I found out why the alarm didn't go off last night."

"You forgot to lock the door?"

Tony's eyes narrowed as he met Bruce's gaze.

"Et tu, Brute?* No. No, the reason turned out to be a lot more interesting."

Tony brought his hands in front of him, raising the struggling metal creature for all to see.

"A squirrel chewed through the wires!"

The looks on the faces of those in the room varied from incredulous, to exasperated, to giddy relief. The latter expression graced the face of the Night Elf. Burn jumped out of his chair with a joyful shout.

"Pedro! I've been looking all over for you!"

The incredulous looks were now turned towards the Druid, who had rushed over to Tony and plucked the mechanical squirrel out of his hands. Tony couldn't decide if the sight of a seven foot elf cuddling a metal rodent was cute or creepy.

"Thanks for finding him. Sorry he broke your security system. He's always liked to chew on wires. Never could break him of the habit."

"Uh…yeah. Hey, where'd you get him, anyway? Actually, how'd you get him into my tower without anyone noticing? You aren't exactly wearing a lot of clothes to hide him in. You don't even have pockets!"

Burn looked down at his clothing, which Tony still thought was the worst eyesore of an outfit ever to be worn, then back up at the billionaire. The metal squirrel chirped and scurried up an arm to perch on Burn's shoulder.

"I built Pedro years ago. He was an early project. Mechanical Squirrels are one of the first things Engineers learn to craft."

"Wait. You're an Engineer?"

Tony's smile spread slowly across his face as he let that fact sink in. An Engineer from another planet! Who apparently made robotic squirrels with a taste for copper wiring. But still!

"My friend, I think we have much to discuss."

For once, Harvist wasn't the only person in the room to groan and hide her face in her hands. The Avengers and Azerothians alike were suddenly slightly afraid of what Burn and Tony might do with their newly discovered common interest. Rhewi especially felt a twinge of fear as she considered what her elven friend might create with the Human's assistance. The exploding sheep had been bad enough.

Notes: * "Et tu, Brute?" - Tony is quoting from William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar"


	9. Meetings

Dr. Harvey Deacon had never expected to find himself in his current situation. It was crazy, really. Completely unbelievable outside science-fiction novels. The Scientist had just wanted to get back at those who'd mocked and belittled him. He'd wanted to prove his research was just as valid as theirs. He'd wanted to silence the scientific snobbery. He'd ended up creating something amazing, even if it hadn't been meant to open trans-dimensional portals.

Now he was trying to recreate that unintentional 'success' with the aid of his new allies. "Ally" wasn't exactly the right term, though. After he and the horned individual had escaped from the authorities, it had become clear that the creature saw humans as inferior beings. The Satyr, as the horned one called his species, had a power that could only be described as Magic. He'd done…something…that resulted in a floating orb of green light hovering in the middle of the workshop.

The Scientist had noted how the green light made his new "friend" look rather demonic. Foulhorn the Satyr wasn't quite like the creatures of mythology Harvey was familiar with. No, this being was more menacing in appearance. His torso and upper arms were bare, revealing his blue-violet skin. Tufts of coarse dark burgundy fur grew on his shoulders and forearms, and covered his goat-like legs. The cloven hooves were much larger than the Scientist thought they should be; each was easily the size of the Satyr's head. The lion-like tail seemed out of place, but the pair of long backswept goat horns sprouting from Foulhorn's head certainly fit with the rest of him. His hairless ears were very long and pointed, like an elf from a fantasy movie. He had long, shaggy hair, thick eyebrows over pale yellow eyes, and a long, shaggy beard. His large hands possessed an impressive set of sharp black claws. Dr. Deacon had no doubt that the Satyr could kill him with little effort should he choose to do so.

Harvey worked on recreating the invention that had malfunctioned and brought Foulhorn to him. The Satyr said he had friends who could help Harvey attain the fame he deserved, but the Scientist was to follow orders without question. The Satyr didn't say whether his 'friends' were already in the city, or if they'd need the portal machine to bring them to Earth. As it turned out, he didn't need to say anything. By that evening they had guests.

The first to arrive was a human-looking man wearing a dark robe with the hood pulled up, hiding his face. He tersely introduced himself as Eadric, but said nothing further. He was accompanied by a strange creature that looked as if it had stepped out of someone's nightmare of Hell. The reddish-brown and black beast had four legs ending in a "foot" composed of a single large claw. Two sharp forward-facing "horns" protruded from the shoulders. Just behind the "horns" were two tentacle-like appendages tipped with some kind of suction cup. The worst was the head, though. It had no visible eyes, nose, or ears. The long snout contained a set of impressive jaws lined with exceptionally sharp teeth. The monster acted like an aggressive but well-trained dog. It obeyed its master despite obviously wanting to rip the Scientist to bits.

The next "guest" to arrive was the strangest looking of the lot. Aelinsa was a snake-woman; a Naga, she'd called herself. Her body was humanoid from the waist up, and had the tail of a snake instead of legs. A spiny, fish-like yellow fin formed a sort of crown around her head, then travelled down her spine, gradually getting smaller 'til it ended partway down the tail. She was covered in pale green scales with a yellow underbelly. She had four arms and her hands were webbed with sharp claws tipping the fingers. Her face might have been called beautiful if she were human. As it was, the golden eyes and blue-green lips of the woman's pale green face made for a rather grotesque sight.

The Scientist had thought that perhaps the new arrivals would treat him a bit better than Foulhorn the Satyr treated him. His hopes had been dashed rather quickly. The Naga treated the Satyr as a respected equal, but held herself above the human Warlock. The Scientist had quickly learned that he was at the bottom of the group hierarchy. He didn't like being so powerless. It reminded him of how his former colleagues had treated him. Still, these aliens at least appreciated his inventions. They were genuinely interested in his knowledge and encouraged him to continue when everyone else had always laughed and told him to give up.

So what if he'd essentially sold his soul? He had allies now. He'd surely show everyone how brilliant he was with such powerful beings supporting him. Right?

Nick Fury sat in his office, alone. His thoughts turned towards the Azerothians. It was probably safe to take the Death Knight at face value. He was a murderer; a killing machine that cared nothing for human lives. The threat he posed was obvious. But the others…as friendly as they seemed, it would be foolish not to have plans in place to handle the situation should they turn hostile. Fury wasn't a fool. He wanted to know exactly what each of the strangers was capable of. He'd already seen magic, shape-shifting, necromancy, superior physical strength and elite fighting skills. It would be laughably easy for just one of the aliens to cause serious problems if they had a mind to. Hell, he'd already seen that with the Death Knight. Fury stood and quickly marched out of his office. He needed to visit the Tower.

The Director stepped out of the elevator and quickly assessed the room's inhabitants. It appeared that the Avengers and Azerothians were getting along better than expected. Barton and the Troll were playing some FPS video game on Stark's giant television. Rogers, Thor and the Draenei were sitting at the table having an animated conversation as they ate. Romanoff and the Blood Elf were leaning on the bar looking at a weapons catalog and discussing the pros and cons of various knives. The Worgen, Tauren and Dr. Banner were sitting on the large sofa deep in quiet conversation. There was no sign of Stark of the Night Elf. Fury spared a second to wonder if he should be worried before dismissing the thought and striding purposefully towards his targets. Dr. Banner looked up as Fury came to a stop in front of the sofa.

"Is there something you needed, Director?"

"Yes. I need to have a word with the leaders of each 'Faction' group. If the two of you would come with me, we'll move to somewhere more private."

The Tauren raised an eyebrow but stood up from the couch. Fury turned his expectant gaze to the Worgen. She looked confused for a moment before the look changed to realization.

"I'm actually not the Leader. Burn is."

An incredulous look crossed the Director's face as he visualized the Elf in the orange bondage gear leading people into battle. It wasn't a very believable mental image. The Mage almost seemed to read his mind for her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Scary thought, isn't it? The way he dresses and carries on like an idiot, you'd never believe him to be any sort of leader. But when you're neck-deep in battle and surrounded by enemies, Burn is the person you want by your side. He's saved my hide more times than I can count. He earned that "Leader" position. If he wants to behave ridiculously off the battlefield, well…it's embarrassing for the rest of us, but we still respect him."

Fury was somewhat taken aback at the Worgen's speech. Rhewi obviously felt strongly about her friend. The Director made a mental note to reconsider his initial assessment of the Night Elf. He'd thought of Burn as a fuzzier version of the Hulk; a harmless Elf that turned into an angry bear when threatened. But if Rhewi's words were true, it meant the bear wasn't a mindless animal after all. People didn't follow you in battle unless you were fully capable of making smart decisions. Fury didn't usually underestimate a threat. His job and his personality made him somewhat paranoid. If he'd allowed himself to be fooled by a goofy smile and horrible fashion sense, what else had he missed about these strangers? It was a disturbing realization.

"I'll talk with Burn later. Harvist, if you'll follow me we'll have that chat."

Agent Barton waited about seven minutes before making his excuses and leaving the room to follow Fury and Harvist. JARVIS provided the location, and in no time Clint was stealthily crawling through the air ducts. He came to a stop just shy of the grate where he could hear every word spoken, but couldn't be seen from below. It wouldn't do to risk someone looking up and noticing him hiding the vent shaft.

The soft but distinct sound of something moving through the vents startled the agent. He looked up and met the gaze of a pair of orange eyes. Although there wasn't much light in the air ducts, he could make out the distinct form of a large white fox. The animal opened its mouth in what Clint swore was a grin of amusement. With an undeniably mischievous look in its eyes, the creature turned its attention to the voices coming from the room below.

Clint narrowed his eyes at the animal. Since it was impossible for a wild fox to gain entry into the Tower, he assumed this animal was somehow connected to the Troll Hunter. He'd noticed that 'Shido had a preference for white animals. With a shake of his head, Clint returned to listening to the meeting between the Director and the Druid.

Harvist followed Director Fury into the elevator. They went down a few floors before exiting onto what looked like a physical recreation area. There were punching bags and cushioned mats along with a lot of odd equipment the Tauren assumed were _not_ actually the torture devices they appeared to be. Most of the humans didn't seem like the type to use that of thing; especially not so close to where they slept. Fury led Harvist to a secluded corner of the room before turning to address her.

"I won't beat about the bush. I need to know more about your people. I need to know how you plan to control that homicidal friend of yours in case he goes on another killing spree. And I very much want to know if it's possible any more individuals from your world will show up. We haven't detected any strange energy signatures today, but that doesn't mean more of you lot aren't already roaming the city."

Harvist titled her head slightly and narrowed her eyes. Fury didn't strike her as the type to be so blunt about gathering information. She'd dealt with enough Rogues to know their sort; they never revealed more than they had to, and there was almost always more to what they wanted than what they came out and asked for. You really had to watch Rogues, especially if they seemed to be trying to be "honest" with you.

"You want to know how best to kill with us should we prove a problem, don't you, Director?"

Fury's face remained unchanged at Harvist's words. He didn't need to respond, though. The Tauren knew she was right.

"I appreciate your frankness. I'm sure you aren't this direct with every stranger you encounter. To be honest, your Avengers seem fully capable of dealing with any one of my companions. It wouldn't be easy, but we aren't unstoppable. None from my world have plans to conquer yours. We mainly just want to find a way to get home. I expect you'll keep a close watch on us, but so long as you make no attempt to harm my friends or myself, we will have no reason to harm you or yours.

"As for 'Ice…well, he won't be going on anymore rampages. I know that you see him as a murderer. On our world the tensions between Horde and Alliance run very high. The killing of a handful of humans is not unusual. For some, it's a perfectly acceptable activity. Our worlds are Very Different, Director. 'Ice now knows killing humans is not allowed here. His need to kill has been sated for a while. He'll behave himself."

The Director studied Harvist intently with his good eye. The Druid couldn't tell if he believed her; the man had one hell of a poker face. After a long moment, he spoke.

"And what are the chances of anyone else from your showing up?"

"I can't speak for the Alliance, but my group are all accounted for. If anyone else from Azeroth turns up, they are no friend of mine."

"Two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were brutally murdered yesterday. One looked like he'd been hit by some kind of fireball; the other had been torn apart. Does that sound like anyone you know?"

Harvist's eye widened slightly in surprise. The Worgen Mage came to mind immediately. Rhewi would certainly have the ability to rip a human limb-from-limb, and fire spells were certainly easy enough for one of her abilities to manage. But then, Druids could also cause such damage. She knew Fury was suspicious of 'Ice, but the Death Knight was actually the least likely to have killed those agents. She met Fury's one-eyed gaze with a look of determination.

"If you suspect 'Ice of killing your people, you're wrong."

"I wasn't accu-"

"Death Knights tend to not like fire. They almost always use a sword or axe in battle. If you're right about a fireball attack, that means Magic. I know I haven't killed anyone since waking up here. The Alliance group, while capable of the deed, don't strike me as an overly violent bunch. I can't imagine any of them slaughtering people without a really good reason."

"So you don't know anything about who or what killed my agents?"

The Tauren considered what else might be able to rip a human to pieces and use fire attacks. She was absolutely certain that neither her friends or the Alliance members had done such a thing. But if not them, who? Suddenly, Harvist realized the answer.

"It's possible that one of the Twilight's Hammer was brought here. We were fighting them in close quarters before that spell knocked us out. Most of the cultists were dead, but a few were still alive and putting up an impressive defense. I can't say for sure, but the more I think about it, the more likely it seems that a member of Twilight's Hammer was transported to your world, too."

Directory Fury did not look happy at hearing this news. But then, the man hadn't looked happy at any point since Harvist had met him.

These aliens were crazy, Dr. Deacon realized. Their little group was holding a meeting to discuss goals and form a plan of action. It was almost like a real business meeting, except the "goals" being discussed seemed to consist of either conquering or destroying the world. What sort of crazy doomsday cult had he gotten involved with?! These "people" honestly didn't care if they died so long as every other living thing died with them! Unfortunately for Harvey, it was too late to back out of the arrangement with Foulhorn. If he didn't go along with the crazy aliens, he'd be killed. Eventually.

"Perhaps we should start smaller? Maybe focus on strengthening our position here and then work on taking over the world one city at a time? I don't know how things are on your world, but Earth will take more than just us four to truly conquer it. Even if the population is only human, there are a lot of people out there."

And now everyone was staring at him. The she-snake, Aelinsa, curled her lip in a sneer as if disgusted that a mere mortal male would dare speak in her presence. Eadric just glared. But then, the Warlock hadn't stopped glaring since he arrived, so Harvey decided not to take it personally. Foulhorn, however, actually seemed to consider Harvey's words. The Satyr spoke after a few moments.

"You might have a point. The plans we had for Azeroth were grand indeed, but they counted on all the Twilight's Hammer working towards our common goal. We are now only three, and on a world very different from our own. Yes, we shall gather strength in secret, little Scientist. And when ready, this city shall fall. Once we've fortified the perimeter properly, no enemy will be able to get through our defenses. This world is woefully without magic and thus defenseless. We shall crush these ignorant humans underhoof!"

Dr. Harvey Deacon cheered along with the others as Foulhoof finished speaking. He still had some doubts about the situation, but there was nowhere to go but forward.


End file.
